SCITUATE, Mass. — Jonathan Roche often runs along Minot Beach in Scituate. “For me I don’t look as running as something I have to do. I look at it as something I get to do,” he said.
And he gets to do a lot of it. Next week Jonathan will be running in his 27th straight Boston Marathon. “It’s amazing how just putting one foot in front of another adds up over time,” he said.
The marathon will also be Jonathan’s 26th in a row for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - Cancer Treatment and Research in Boston, MA. “There’s patients at Dana-Farber on the day of the Boston Marathon that are in there fighting and it may look like, oh my gosh, you’re running a marathon. The marathon’s pretty easy, compared to, it’s actually very easy compared to the battle that these cancer warriors take on every day and so I think of them and I honestly think of my mom,” Jonathan said.
His mom, Dorothy, was treated at Dana Farber and died of lunge cancer in 1985. She was 49. Jonathan was 12. He will be 50 three days after the marathon and has been running all these years for the Dana Farber team in his mom’s memory. “My goal is to run 50 straight for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,” he said.
Jonathan says his mother used to look out at the water at Minot Beach while she was battling cancer. It was a spot where she found peace. Her family dedicated a bench with her favorite quote engraved on it, “The gull that flies the highest sees the furthest.” Jonathan says the bench is a big part of his training. “I’ll read that. Say some prayers, look out at the ocean and then be able to crank along from there.
But it means a lot to be able stop here and it’s an incredible way to honor her” he said.
Honoring a mother, who has greatly inspired her son to help beat cancer, one mile at a time
If he stays on pace, Jonathan will be 73-years-old when he completes his 50th straight Boston Marathon running for the Dana-Farber team. If you’d like to donate to Jonathan’s fundraising team, click here: 2022 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge: Mr. Jonathan D Roche’s Fundraising Page - Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (jimmyfund.org)
If you have a Positively Massachusetts story idea, contact Boston25 anchor Chris Flanagan at PositivelyMA@Boston25.com.
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