Charity runner struggling to meet Boston Marathon goal

Cambridge, Mass — UPDATE: Boston 25 has learned that after this story Luke is now $100 away from his goal.

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For the last two months, 25-year-old Luke Haigh has been intensely focused on training for his first Boston Marathon -- a race he’s been wanting to compete in for the last 10 years.

“I was actually present during the Marathon bombing, and that was the first time that kind of sunk in my heart that I wanted to reclaim that day,” he said.

But to fully reclaim that day, Haigh has a financial obligation to fulfill. He’s one of likely a few thousand charity runners in the race. In exchange for a race number, Haigh agreed to raise $10,000 in pledges for the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation.

“The Shamrock Foundation specializes in helping youth and youth programming and giving the right foundations money so that kids who are in positions to need help can get the help that they need,” Haigh said.

The Foundation’s mission appealed to Haigh, who serves in the Big Brother/Big Sister Foundation.

“I have a kid that I mentor in Boston,” he said. “He’s a large reason why I wanted to run for the Shamrock Foundation, specifically.”

There’s just one problem on the way to Patriot’s Day: Haigh is running $2,200 short of his fundraising goal -- and the money isn’t exactly flowing in.

“You know what you’re walking into,” he said. “It’s $10,000 in two months. It’s a ton of money in a little time. I totally overlooked just how hard it was going to be.”

Haigh’s total raised at the moment is a bit more than $2,700. Fortunately, whatever amount he ends up with, his employer will match 100 percent. So his goal is to raise $5,000 as fast as possible.

Haigh has until May 15th to accomplish this. But shortfalls are unacceptable with charity running. And if he can’t raise the funds, his credit card will be charged for the outstanding balance.

“They get the $10,000,” he said. “Either way they’re going to get the ten grand... it’s just by who.”

Haigh can ill afford to cough up the difference. He works full-time and is a graduate student at MIT. He thinks there must be other charity runners similarly short this close to the wire.

“I would be really surprised if I was on an island with this one,” he said. “I think there’s definitely people who are experiencing the same thing. I know friends of my Mom who ran before and are still facing the pain from not meeting the mark.”

Haigh is hoping to run a 3:30 - 3:45 marathon, despite an abbreviated training period.

“I’m confident I’m going to be able to finish,” he said. “I have a lot of hope that I’m going to be able to finish it well.”

He’s not as confident about the fundraising, though Haigh is hoping for donations from a T-shirt sale he’s planning, as well as a social gathering.

“I feel like there’s rounds to donations,” said Haigh. “You reach out to your friends and family and you hope they’ll give something, right? And then after that,now I actually have to try to do things.”

Come race day, Haigh will be wearing a special Shamrock Foundation singlet with the motto “Green Runs Deep.”

But at the moment, for Haigh, green isn’t running deep enough.

If you’d like to donate to Luke’s charity, visit this website: https://www.givengain.com/activist/755263/projects/57924/

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