Events

Run to Fenway’s home plate in support of veterans

The Red Sox Foundation and Mass General partner up again to raise funds for military heroes and their families.

Runners and walkers flocked to Fenway Park on Saturday, May 4, for the 2013 Run-Walk to Home Base Presented by New Balance.

By Dave D'Onofrio

1 minute to read

With a stated goal of raising $2.5 million for the clinical care and support of veterans and their families, the Run to Home Base will be held in and around Fenway Park — with a virtual option, as well — on July 30.

The 2022 race marks the 13th edition of the annual run, though organizers from the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital suggest their mission has taken on an even greater importance this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They say veteran suicides have increased 20 percent since the pandemic began, claiming 20 people per day, and that increase has coincided with decreased funding for the Home Base organization that provides support and treatment for veterans nationally.

Led by its title sponsor, Raytheon, the corporate backing for the event means every penny donated will be used for Home Base’s “life-saving care,” with runners required to meet a fundraising minimum in order to participate. After the opening ceremonies at 7 a.m., those runners will start out from Fenway at 8 a.m., then complete their 9K run or 5K run/walk by returning to the ballpark and crossing home plate. Later that afternoon, the same field will host the Red Sox as they play the Brewers.

Friends and family aren’t allowed on Fenway’s track or turf, but those wishing to cheer on a field full of military members and veterans are welcome to do so from the stands. Amid the 4,000 runners there will surely be hundreds — if not thousands — of inspiring stories to root for, whether that’s by cheering in person or donating from a distance.