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STAMFORD, Conn. The history of the Boston Marathon and the charity for which he is running will make the race special for Stamfords Jeffrey Englander. That he will run in the area where he grew up only adds to the allure.
Englander will run for the American Liver Foundations Run for Research. A family friend and his grandfather were affected by liver disease, making the charity meaningful for Englander. I really didnt realize the number of people who have been impacted by it until I ran for the charity last year at Boston, he said. I have a lot of friends and co-workers who have family members who have had liver-related illnesses.
The best part for Englander is that he returning home for the race. He grew up in Newton Highlands not far from Heartbreak Hill at the 21-mile mark of the 26.2-mile race. He not only has a familiarity with the terrain but he also has his own personal history with the race. A friend of my mothers used to have brunch parties on Heartbreak Hill, and many years ago I interviewed marathoning great Bill Rodgers,'' Englander said.
Its neat seeing places that you went to as a kid with your family, he added. We run by the place where my sister got married and we go by Newton-Wellesley Hospital at the 13-mile mark, and I remember thinking to myself, I took a late night trip or two here with my parents when I was a kid!'''
This will be the third marathon and second Boston for Englander, who finished last years race in 5:43:16. Although there are easier marathons to run, Englander was determined to run Boston, which was a lifelong dream for him.
Its the ultimate in the marathon experience, he said. A lot of people said try something else, its a really difficult course. I didnt want to do it on another course. When youre out there doing it, its a complete mind over body battle. You keep thinking youre not going to make it through. Youre just trying to go 100 feet at a time, from stop light to stop light, from road sign to road sign. Its just a battle.
The reward is the support he gets from the crowd. Fans line every step of the way, from the starting line in Hopkinton to the finish line in Boston, and he is thankful for it.
A good friend told me to soak it all in, Englander said. You get such an adrenaline rush when you hear people cheering for you. Its like this must be what it feels like to be that pro athlete that hits the game-winning home run or hits the last-second shot. Its a great experience.
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