Thank you for visiting my fundraising page! I'm thrilled to be part of Gentle Giant's 40th Anniversary Celebration, especially because we'll be running to raise funds for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital!
As you may know, I returned to Boston last year to run the Marathon. The training and the race didn't go as well as planned, and I missed my fundraising goal for St. Jude's. I'm headed back this April for a slightly shorter (but very demanding) run in Harvard Stadium, with the hope of helping Gentle Giant reach our goal of bringing in $100,000 for St. Jude's.
Any amount you can give is greatly appreciated, and 100% goes directly to helping St. Jude's mission.
1st Annual Stadium Run World Championships presented by Gentle Giant
The Event - April 26th!
- The iconic Harvard Stadium consists of 31 levels of concrete seats (the "big" steps) across 37 sections - 1,147 steps in total (not including those going down!) - the race is a full "tour" of the stadium!
- Participants can register for the time they prefer - Elite Women and Men (<30 mins projected finishing time) are suggested to register for the 8am timeslot, but the day is open to your preferred time; everyone is welcome, and teams are great!
- Starts will be single-file; to keep congestion down, starts will be limited to small groups of people (<5), and will be done in order of registration; a more precise start time will be shared prior to the event
- Once you register, you will be taken to a personalized PledgeReg page, where you can kick off your fundraising! (Fundraising isn't required to participate, but there will be some fantastic prizes for those who step up their game!)
- Details about parking will be shared closer to the event
- This is a chip-timed and fully-supported event!
More about the stadium can be found here.
Background
In 1980, Gentle Giant Moving Company's founder, Larry O’Toole, set out to make an impact in the Boston community by building a strong, professional, and sustainable business. As former collegiate athlete, he began by recruiting from the ranks of his former teammates and competitors and they trained as they had always trained – running the steps of Harvard stadium.
Fast-forward 40 years, and the stadium is still a focal point of Gentle Giant culture; running Harvard stadium has become an unofficial rite of passage for new Gentle Giant employees. The Stadium has also grown in popularity among non-rowers alike, who are drawn to this iconic structure and the unique challenge it provides.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of its founding, Gentle Giant is establishing an annual run at Harvard Stadium to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Gentle Giant’s charity partner. The mission of St. Jude is to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of St. Jude’s founder, Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion, or a family's ability to pay.
The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay.
Unlike any other hospital, the majority of our funding comes from individual contributions. And thanks to generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude.