Mass. man to run marathons on 7 continents to benefit Make-A-Wish foundation

WORCESTER, Mass. — Running one marathon is grueling. Imagine running seven races on seven continents in just seven days?

That’s just what a Grafton man is going to do in a few weeks.

Bill Murphy is just one of 60 participants selected to run in The Great World Race.

The 53-year-old mortgage broker is a very determined marathon runner.

Still, he expects this race to be challenging and much different than when he runs through Lake Park in Worcester with his dog.

“After the first or second marathon, you’re going to be tired. You’re going to start feeling things. Your body’s going to change. They told us to bring one size-up pair of shoes just because of the swelling.”

Here’s how the Great World Race covers so much ground in so little time.

The race starts at Wolf’s Fang in Antarctica.

The next stop is Cape Town in South Africa allowed by Perth Australia.

Then there will be a multi-loop course that covers Istanbul on its Asian and European sides.

The runners will fly across the Atlantic Ocean to run in Cartagena in South America.

The final stop of the race is in North America in Miami.

“I hope we raise a lot of awareness,” said Murphy. “I hope we impact a lot of people to go out and do something for themselves, whether it’s to push their own limits or to do it for a greater good.”

For Murphy, that means raising money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

It’s a cause he’s supported for years, including running the Boston Marathon on its behalf.

“Just seeing these kids with critical illnesses and seeing the magic of what a wish does for them. It gives them hope. It gives their families hope of what’s to come.”

Murphy hopes to raise $50,000 for the non-profit.

It’s money they can use.

Just in this region, 600 children are on a waiting list for a wish. The average cost to fulfill one is $12,000.

“If I wasn’t doing this for a charity, I probably wouldn’t do it. It’s just one of those things that it’s just the why, the meaning. The purpose means more than actually doing this endeavor.”

Murphy wrote “Thriving in the Storm”: Nine Principles to Help You Overcome Any Adversity.”

He’ll be thinking about for the children, and himself.

“There’s a lot of world-class athletes who are doing this and I don’t consider myself one. I just am going to grind and put in the work and just show up and do the best that I can do.”

The runners will cover 183 miles in 168 hours and do most of their sleeping on planes.

The race will kick off on November 15th.

Murphy is holding several fundraisers in the coming weeks and is raising money online.

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