On April 20, Geoffrey Noonan from Marion, Massachusetts, is running to defy cancer as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team in the 130th Boston Marathon® presented by Bank of America, along with more than 500 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge teammates from across the country and around the world, will run Massachusetts’ historic marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston to collectively raise more than $8.75 million for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
This year marks the 37th annual running of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC), the largest and longest-running charity team for the Boston Marathon. One hundred percent of the funds raised by the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team benefit Dana-Farber’s Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research, which enables promising scientific research in its earliest stages. The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge has raised more than $140 million for the program since 1990.
Runners include cancer survivors and patients, and family and friends of those who have been affected by cancer. Each team member must fulfill a basic fundraising commitment:
Invitational runners – runners who receive their entry from Dana-Farber have a minimum fundraising commitment of $12,000.
Own entry runners – runners who have joined the DFMC team after obtaining their own race entry have a fundraising commitment of $4,000.
Dana-Farber was among the first charity organizations to be recognized by the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A), which organizes the Boston Marathon. The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team offers its members extensive fundraising support, team training runs, exclusive Dana-Farber events, and a post-race recovery zone. Celebrating his 50th anniversary of winning the 1976 Boston Marathon Men’s Open Division, Jack Fultz will serve as the team training advisor for the 37th time. Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge runners who are not time-qualified for the Boston Marathon receive an invitational entry into the race.
To contribute to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, visit RunDFMC.org or contact the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge staff at (617) 632-1970 or dfmc@dfci.harvard.edu. Follow DFMC on Facebook: www.facebook/marathonchallenge.