To the editor:
First and foremost, I want to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to supporting Tom Smith and me on our journey to complete the 129th Boston Marathon for the benefit of the Thomas E. Smith Foundation. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we were honored as one of the top five fundraising teams for this year’s race.
It was truly one of the most memorable days of my life. We were joined by Bill Richard from the Martin Richard Foundation, who were impacted the most as a family from the Boston Marathon bombing 12 years ago. Bill himself was injured and unable to run the full race — but at the expo on Saturday, he asked if he could join our team.
The three of us — Tom, Bill, and I — completed the course together. We walked most of the 26.2 miles, with a few running segments (except for Tom, who walked the entire marathon on crutches). Despite the physical challenges, we finished in 8 hours and 8 minutes.
At the finish line, thousands cheered us on, and we were welcomed by our families. All three of us were honored to receive the Boston Marathon medal from Thomas Grilk, the former CEO of the Boston Athletic Association, and his wife, Nancy. Throughout the race, we called ourselves The Three Amigos — and it is a bond we will carry for life.
Thank you, Tom Smith, Bill Richard, Michelle, Lauren & Megan McCarthy, Smith Family, Richard Family, and Tom, Nancy, Chris & David Grilk, Susan Hurley, and all of the volunteers of the BAA.
MUCH! #tesfcureparalysis #bostonmarathon #TeamMR8 #JourneyForward #emaxxgroup #tomasesmith
Brian K McCarthy
Lynnfield
