MOTIVATION, OF COURSE, TO TAKE ON 26.2 MILES. NOW, SOME RUNNERS FIND IT WITHIN, OTHERS FIND INSPIRATION IN A CAUSE THAT IS BIGGER THAN THEMSELVES. WHEN A LOCAL FAMILY FACED A HEALTH CRISIS, A GROUP OF LOCAL WOMEN RALLIED AROUND THEIR RUNNING BUDDY. THE MISSION OF THESE FIVE MUSKETEERS, ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT ME AND GETTING ACROSS THE FINISH LINE. IT’S IT’S ABOUT THIS GREATER CAUSE. IT’S A STORY OF SOLIDARITY AND FRIENDSHIP. SO WE’RE GOING TO HAVE MATCHING HATS. SO HEY, GUESS WHAT I WOULD DO? YOU DO AND MOST OF ALL, IT’S A STORY OF LOVE. WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT STRUGGLING, YOU DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO HELP THEM. WE FIRST MET THIS GROUP OF NEEDHAM RUNNERS IN 2021, WHEN THEY DECIDED TO GET THROUGH THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC TOGETHER, MILE BY MILE. THEIR STRONG BONDS NOW CONNECT THEM IN A NEW CHALLENGE. UNIMAGINABLE THREE YEARS AGO TO DO SOMETHING I NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE. AND THAT’S RUNNING A FULL MARATHON. THE BOSTON MARATHON. AND THEIR REASON FOR RUNNING IS PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, BEING HERE AT THE FINISH LINE. BUT IT’S TO SUPPORT AND HONOR MY HUSBAND, DAN. THAT’S DAN WARREN’S WIFE, DARA. IT ALL STARTS WITH DARA. SHE IS MY ROCK. SHE’S MY CHIEF CAREGIVER. SHE’S BEEN THERE AT MY SIDE SINCE DAY ONE. IN FEBRUARY 2023, DAN WAS DIAGNOSED WITH GLIOBLASTOMA BRAIN CANCER. SORT OF. A LOT OF YOUR WORST FEARS COMING TO LIFE AT ONE TIME. IT’S SCARY AND SAD AND AND REALLY SETS YOU BACK. HUSBAND, FATHER OF THREE. EXECUTIVE ARMY VETERAN VIKINGS FAN, FIRE PIT LOVER AND BEYOND. DAN’S MOTTO THROUGH ALL OF THIS SANITIZED FOR TV LIFE, LET’S BEEP AND GO. I THINK THE MORE THAT EACH OF US CAN DO TO APPROACH EACH DAY WITH POSITIVITY, GRACE, A SMILE, HELP SOMEONE THROUGH THE NEXT HARD MOMENT. IT MAKES EVERYONE’S DAY BETTER AND PUTS OURSELVES AND OUR BODIES IN AN ABILITY TO ACTUALLY HELP HEAL OURSELVES. AS WE GO THROUGH JOURNEYS LIKE I AM TODAY. THIS JOURNEY, DAN AND DARA SAY, HAS BEEN MET WITH AN OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT, WHICH INCLUDES DAN’S RUNNING CREW, DANA O’BRIEN, NICOLE O’CONNOR, BRENDA SALOMONE AND JESSE KELLY. TOGETHER, THEY FORM TEAM DAN I NOTICED YOU HAVE YOUR TEAM DAN BRACELET ON, BUT YOU HAVE SOME OTHERS ON YOUR WRIST AS WELL. WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE? MY FRIEND ELIZABETH, CANCER SURVIVOR, MY MOM, CANCER SURVIVOR. KATIE, MY COUSIN KATIE, A CANCER SURVIVOR. AND THEY’RE JUST SO INSPIRATION TO ME. THREE DAYS A WEEK, TEAM DAN IS UP AT 5 A.M., THERE’S COLD AND WINDY DAYS. YOU KNOW, THOSE LONG RUN DAYS YOUR BODY STARTS TO ACHE LACING UP THEIR SNEAKERS TO TRAIN. I RAN IN HONOR OF MY DAD, WHO HAD PASSED AWAY IN 2003, AND I NEEDED AS COMPELLING OF A REASON TO RUN ANOTHER ONE. AND THAT REASON CAME ABOUT WHEN DAN WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. THEIR GOAL OF BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY CANCER. I THINK ABOUT DAN AND HIS BIG SMILE, AND IT REALLY JUST FILLS MY HEART WITH HOPE. AND THAT’S WHAT KEEPS ME MOTIVATED AND KEEPS ME GOING. TEAM DAN IS RUNNING WITH A SECOND TEAM GOLF FIGHTS CANCER, THE LOCAL NONPROFIT RAISES FUNDS FOR CANCER ORGANIZATIONS AND FAMILIES LIVING WITH THE DISEASE. GFC’S CO-FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN BRIAN OATES. GOLF FIGHTS CANCER STARTED BACK IN 2004. MY FRIEND JAY MONAHAN AND I FOUND A FRIEND WHO PASSED AWAY TOO YOUNG AND WE DECIDED I HAD TO DO SOMETHING, AND IT’S GROWN INTO THIS INCREDIBLY VIBRANT AND POWERFUL COMMUNITY OVER THE SPAN OF 20 YEARS. GOLF FIGHTS CANCER HAS DIRECTED $13 MILLION IN GRANTS TO 90 CANCER RELATED CHARITIES. TEAM DAN FUNDS WILL GO TO THE CENTER FOR NEURO ONCOLOGY TEAM AT DANA-FARBER, WHERE DAN AND RECEIVES TREATMENT TO HELP EXPAND TREATMENT OPTIONS. I’M HOPING THAT THIS IS HELPING TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT, AND EVEN THE SMALLEST DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OF SO MANY THAT ARE TOUCHED BY CANCER. NOTABLY, 25% OF GFC’S FUNDING IS RAISED THROUGH THE BOSTON MARATHON. THIS WILL BE BRIAN’S 28TH TIME RUNNING THE EVENT. THE SKINNY FAST PEOPLE. IT’S AWESOME, BUT THE EVERYDAY PEOPLE THAT ARE RUNNING, THAT’S WHERE ALL THE MONEY GETS RAISED AND THAT’S WHERE THE REAL MEETING HAPPENS. FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, DARA SAYS. HAVING THESE WOMEN BY HER SIDE IS EVERYTHING THING. ALL OF THEM HAVE A LOT GOING ON AND THE FACT THAT THEY’RE ABLE TO DO THIS, IT REALLY IS HUMBLING. BUT IT’S ALSO SUPER INSPIRING. GIVES ME PERSONALLY A LOT OF GRATITUDE THAT I CAN BRING FORWARD. DARA IS AWESOME. WHAT SHE’S DOING FOR ME AND MY FAMILY AND RALLYING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IS NOTHING SHORT OF ABSOLUTELY IMPRESSIVE. I LOVE HER MORE THAN I EVER HAVE, MORE THAN YOU EVER HAVE. IF SUCH A THING IS POSSIBLE. DAN, A PREVIOUS BOSTON MARATHON RUNNER HIMSELF, SAYS HE FINDS HOPE IN ACTION AND STRENGTH IN UNITY. ANYONE WHO HAS RUN A MARATHON KNOWS THERE ARE HARD THINGS TO DO. I THINK THE DEMONSTRATION OF DOING HARD THINGS PROVES TO OTHER PEOPLE THAT HARD THINGS CAN BE DONE. WE ALL NEED THAT SOURCE OF INSPIRATION WHEN BATTLING SOMETHING HARD LIKE CANCER, TO SEE THE TEAM RUNNING TOGETHER AND. JUST EVERYTHING OUR COMMUNITY HAS DONE FOR US IS HEARTWARMING AND OVERWHELMING AND AN AMAZING WAY. TEAM DAN. AND ALL FIVE MEMBERS OF TEAM DAN FINISH. I ACTUALLY CAUGHT UP WITH THEM RIGHT THERE IN CLEVELAND CIRCLE. IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT. I CHEERED THEM ON. THEY CROSSED THE FINISH LINE TOGETHER. OH, THAT IS TOTALLY AWESOME. WHAT A GREAT DAY FOR THEM. AND IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO DONATE TO TEAM DAN OR REALLY, MOST OF THE OTHER CHARITIES AFFILIATED WITH THE BOSTON MARATHON. GOLF FIGHTS CANCER WILL ACCEPT DONATIONS FOR TEAM DAN FOR ANOTHER MONTH. MAY 15TH. WE’LL HAVE A LINK TO ALL INFORMATION ON O