Calvin Cestari is running Boston in memory of his late mother
"She was a remarkable person who touched the lives of so many in the Boston area."
In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon runners share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston.
Name: Calvin Cestari
Age: 34
From: Boston
My inspiration to take on this challenge and run the Boston Marathon is the amazing life of my late mother, Laura Long. She was a remarkable person who touched the lives of so many in the Boston area. She spent decades working for the Visiting Nurses Association of Boston and as a professor of nursing and healthcare policy at Holy Cross, Regis, Framingham State, and other area colleges.
One thing my mom always loved was the Boston Marathon. Rain or shine, we would set up along the rail on Comm. Ave. to hand out water to the runners. Mom made sure we stayed all day long. As a Boston College alum, I imagine she must have caught the Marathon cheering bug around 1979, near mile 22.
Growing up in the 1990s, we lived right in the middle of Heartbreak Hill in Newton at mile 19. Today, my fiancé and I live slightly further down the course at mile 25 in Audubon Circle where we host an annual party. I can’t imagine Monday any other way. So naturally, if I was ever going to try and run Boston, I knew I wanted to run in support of a cause she would have believed in. Finally, this year I decided to make the leap, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to join Mass General Hospital’s Marathon Team in support of their ‘Fightin’ Kids Cancer One Step at A Time’ program to support their pediatric oncology unit.
This will be my first marathon and I am so grateful to the friends and teammates who have helped prepare my legs for this massive challenge. I am also extremely grateful for the generous donors that supported me with their donations to MGH. The day can’t get here soon enough, let’s do this!
Editor’s note: Entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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