FENWAY PARK MARATHON FIRST OF ITS KIND

Event raised more than $320,000 for the Red Sox Foundation Friday as 50 athletes ran the 26.2 mile course within the historic ball park

BOSTON — The Inaugural Fenway Park Marathon managed by DMSE Sports raised more than $320,000 for the Red Sox Foundation on Friday, believed to be the first marathon ever held totally within a major league ballpark. Fifty athletes from 12 states, including Dave McGillivray, the director of the race who also directs the Boston Marathon, ran the 116 laps to raise money for the charity.

Full results can be found here: http://iresultslive.com/?op=overall&eid=2898. 

The winner was Michael Wardian of Arlington, Va., with a time of 2:53:54. Wardian recently won the 2017 World Marathon Challenge, which consists of running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 different continents. The first woman to finish was Frances Kilmczak of Collinsville, Conn. with a time of 3:57:46.

Some of the other athletes included Becca Pizzi from Belmont, Mass., who won the 2016 World Marathon Challenge (WMC)l,  Bryan Lyons and Rick Hoyt.   

The 26.2-mile course inside the storied ballpark looped around the perimeter of the outfield warning track 116 counter clockwise direction. TV stations filmed the inaugural event, which was open to the public.

The race, which filled in less than two weeks, was limited to 50 entrants who raised a minimum of $5,000 in exchange for a bib to benefit the Red Sox Foundation, the official charity of the Boston Red Sox that primarily focuses on youth programming and cancer research. More information is available at redsoxfoundation.org/marathon.

McGillivray and his DMSE Sports have familiarity with incorporating Fenway Park into running events. DMSE presently directs the Run to Home Base 9K Road Race, which starts on Yawkey Way and finishes on the warning track by the Green Monster. McGillivray himself has also run into Fenway Park on endurance runs five times, so this event has been a dream of his since 2004. He hoped it will now be an annual event, perhaps even expanded into other ballparks. 

“For me, the monotony of running around and around NEVER ONCE happened…never…it was just so exciting to be in the moment.  It rained a few times and poured once and as uncomfortable as that was, it just added another element of challenge to it that we will never forget,” said McGillivray, a lifelong Red Sox fan who has run into Fenway Park numerous times to finish various epic events, including two cross-country runs and one East Coast run for charity. “Watching Michael Wardian blow by us every few laps was both inspiring and depressing (ha) but he was so gracious cheering the rest of us along as he ran around us every time – he had to have run 30-miles. Most everyone’s times were relatively slower than expected only because we know we ALL ran further than a marathon – most of us ran 27.5 miles or more given all the laps and passing on the outside.  But, no one cared - we were all just so glad to be able to be there and do this,” he added.

“My favorite part was having my 11-year-old son, Luke, jump in for the final lap with me…pretty special.  And, imagine, over $320,000 raised by 50 runners for the Red Sox Foundation…pretty amazing.  To some, this may have seemed to be a “crazy” thing to do.  To those of us fortunate to be able to do it, it was EPIC.  And to think, the Red Sox were doing their own “marathon” in Tampa Bay with a 15-inning win (13-6).   A pretty “fitting” ending to this historic day."

ABOUT THE RED SOX FOUNDATION
The official team charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation has distributed over $96 million to support programs serving children and families across New England. The Foundation’s efforts are primarily focused on five cornerstone programs: the Red Sox Scholars Program, which provides tutoring, mentoring, enrichment programs and a college scholarship to academically talented but economically disadvantaged Boston public school students; the Red Sox Foundation's RBI and Rookie League youth baseball and softball programs serving more than 2,000 inner city teens each summer; the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with combat stress and traumatic brain injury; The Dimock Center in Roxbury, serving more than 80,000 low-income families in Boston’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods; and The Jimmy Fund, supporting breakthrough cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.   

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Red Sox Foundation raises funds through special events, corporate sponsorships, and grants. Founded and initially funded by Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner, President/CEO Emeritus Larry Lucchino and their partners, the Red Sox Foundation has won numerous awards for the impact of its innovative programs. In 2010, the Foundation’s Red Sox Scholars program was recognized by Major League Baseball with the first-ever “MLB Commissioner’s Award for Philanthropic Excellence.” In 2009, the Red Sox Foundation was honored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Sports Philanthropy Project with the Patterson Award as the nation’s “Best Team Charity in Sports.”  For more information about the foundation, visit redsoxfoundation.org.

ABOUT DMSE SPORTS
Founded by Dave McGillivray in 1981, DMSE Sports is a leader in sports event management, specializing in creating, marketing and producing mass participatory athletic events throughout the U.S. and abroad. DMSE works with the B.A.A operations team in overseeing all the logistics and technical operations of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon, and manages the TD Beach to Beacon in Maine, the New Balance Falmouth Road Race on Cape Cod, the Finish at the 50 at Patriot Place, the Feaster Five, the Bellin Run in Green Bay, Wis., the DMSE Sports Classic Half Marathon, among others. For additional information on McGillivray or DMSE Sports, visit www.dmsesports.com or find DMSE on Facebook and Twitter.