Christy Marchel, Stephanie Tickerhoff running for charities at Boston Marathon
Running in the Boston Marathon for the first time puts Christy Marchel in position to complete all six World Marathon Majors.
Stephanie Tickerhoff, meanwhile, says she cried like a baby when she learned that she, too, would be running from Hopkinton, Mass., to Boston in April for the first time.
"This is my dream race," Tickerhoff says.
Marchel, of Greensboro, and Tickerhoff, from Kernersville, are entries through the marathon's charity program. Each is required to raise several thousand dollars in support of their chosen charities.
The Boston Athletic Association accepted all 23,267 runners who met the qualifying standards for the race April 17. The charity program is a way for runners who don't hit those marks to gain entry.
"This is a special rice for me in that I made myself a goal a few years ago of completing the six world majors," Marchel says. "So far I've completed three of them. This will be No. 4. In my mind, it's the biggest one to get to. And mentally, it's probably going to be the hardest for me."
Marchel, who will race in her 12th marathon, is running Boston in support of Project Just Because. The organization helps struggling families in need by supplying necessities including warm clothing, food and school supplies.
Project Just Because's office is in Hopkinton, less than a 5K away from the marathon's start line.
Tickerhoff, a veteran of 20 marathons and multiple 26.2-mile events at Disney, is supporting 261 Fearless, which offers educational and running opportunities designed to empower women.
261 is as famous as any number associated with the Boston Marathon. Kathrine Switzer, entered as K.V. Switzer in 1967, wore a bib bearing that number and started the race. She endured an assault by race official Jock Semple, who tried to tear the bib from her shirt because he didn't view her as a serious runner. Switzer's boyfriend, and later first husband, Tom Miller shoved Semple to the pavement, and Switzer finished the race.
To support Marchel and Tickerhoff and their causes, click on the links below to make donations to the charities at their fundraising pages:
• Christy Marchel, ProjectJustBecause.org
• Stephanie Tickerhoff, 261Fearless.org
Both organizations are 501(c)3 charities, and contributions are tax-deductible.
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