Tufts students, faculty, alumni, and parents are gearing up for the Boston Marathon, which will take place on Apr. 17.
Many are participating in the President's Marathon Challenge, which organizes runners from the Tufts community to raise funds for nutrition, medical, and fitness research and education at Tufts.
When the Challenge was established in 2003 by President Lawrence Bacow, 25 Tufts runners participated.
Now in its third year, the team is 200 participants strong, according to Eric Johnson, the University's Executive Director of Development, who has been with the group since its inception.
In past years, the President's Marathon Challenge has raised over $250,000 for nutrition research and initiatives across the University. In addition to the runners, Bacow says that between 300 and 400 people from Tufts usually volunteer on the race day.
This year's team has been training since September under the leadership of Coach Don Megerle, a former swimming coach at Tufts. The training program consists of indoor interval training three times a week and nine-to-twenty-mile outdoor runs twice a week.
"I [am] really impressed with everyone's commitment to being part of the team," Bacow said. "On race day, it is fabulous to see so many Tufts runners out on the course."
First-time participant and sophomore Gilian Lizars said that despite the struggles she faces in training, she won't back down. "I don't think that I'd be persevering through this if it weren't for [the rest of the team]," she said.
Tufts' is the largest university team represented in the Boston Marathon.
"It gives us great exposure," Johnson said.
