Chris Ruggio is running for the Boston Children’s Hospital and his daughter
"This will be my first time running Boston and I am incredibly excited to be part of the experience."
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. If you’re running the marathon, you can share your #WhyImRunningBoston story here.
Name: Chris Ruggio
Age: 54
From: Duxbury
I’m running the Boston Marathon to fundraise for Boston Children’s Hospital in honor of my daughter, Holly. Holly is a patient in the rheumatology clinic with juvenile arthritis or JIA. It’s a chronic condition with no cure, so her treatment is focused on relieving pain and minimizing symptoms. Thanks to the great care and treatment she has received, she is a happy, active, and confident teen.
I have run several marathons, including six in 2022, after accepting a challenge from a friend to run one in each New England state in one year. The way the timing worked out, I ended up running the last four in the space of nine exhausting weeks. I completed the challenge on a rainy, windy December day at the Millinocket Marathon up in Maine, just in time to start training for Boston!
This will be my first time running Boston and I am incredibly excited to be part of the experience. The Boston Children’s Hospital Miles for Miracles team provides coaches and support staff who have been incredibly helpful. We have weekly group runs along the marathon course, and it has been inspiring to meet other runners and patient partners whose lives have been touched by the number one pediatric hospital in the country. The money I raise will give children battling the most complex diseases, treatments they can’t find anywhere else, and help patient families in crisis with urgent needs, like housing, food, and clothing. Thank you for your support!
Editor’s note: Entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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