On Monday April 20 Pepperdine seniors Amanda Gordon Jason Driscoll and Keith Bergh will embark on a 26.2-mile journey through the streets of Boston literally going the distance for a cause they are passionate about.
Typically runners must record qualifying times to earn a slot at the Boston Marathon. However race officials also allow individuals pledging to raise money for a charity organization to register for the marathon. This opportunity was too good for these three seniors to pass up.
“I wanted to finish my senior year [with] kind of a capstone accomplishment raise some money for this charity and run a marathon doing it Driscoll said. I knew it would be a good challenge to finish off my college career.”
While Gordon Driscoll and Bergh have been training tirelessly for the marathon they have also been steadfastly working to raise money for the charities they have chosen.
Gordon and Driscoll will be representing Team Hoyt a charity whose goal is to “integrate the physically challenged into everyday life according to the organization’s official Web site. Bergh will be running to support pediatric cancer research at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Team Hoyt was founded by Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father-and-son duo from Massachusetts who have teamed up to participate in more than 1,000 marathons, triathlons and other athletic endeavors since 1979. This feat is even more remarkable when taking into consideration Rick’s inability to walk or talk – he was born in 1962 as a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy.
But this does not stop the two men from competing. Dick, 68, pushes his son in a wheelchair when he runs. When Dick cycles, Rick rides along in a seat-pod attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick sits in a stabilized float that is harnessed to his father.
Gordon was introduced to the story of the Hoyts during her sophomore year when she and her roommate viewed a montage of the father-and-son team on YouTube. Gordon said the video made an immediate impression on her.
We sat on the bed together and we just bawled – we just started crying Gordon said. It was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen.”
While Gordon sat in her room inspired by the poignant determination of Dick and Rick she had no idea she would one day be a member of Team Hoyt at one of the most prestigious running events in the world.
This will be Gordon’s second consecutive year with Team Hoyt in Boston and the third marathon of her running career. Gordon who used to be on the Pepperdine cross country team said she ran her first marathon the Rome Marathon while studying abroad in Florence Italy during the spring of her sophomore year.
According to Gordon this sparked a series of events that ultimately led to her connection to Team Hoyt.
“My junior year my grandma had sent a newsletter to the whole family as she does every year and she told everyone I ran the Rome Marathon Gordon said. My cousin Doug [Gilliland] is connected with Team Hoyt he organizes the charity team for them. … He had a girl drop out of the race and he saw the newsletter and he contacted me and said ‘would you be interested in running Boston.'”
Although Gordon received this invitation in January leaving her with just three months to prepare for the race she eagerly accepted Gilliland’s offer. On Monday April 212008 Gordon participated in her first Boston Marathon – running alongside the father and son whose story had so impacted her just one year before.
Gordon said the atmosphere of the marathon was something she will never forget.
“You look around … and see people running for someone they might have lost to cancer or cystic fibrosis or multiple sclerosis all these things she said. I think it’s just such a cool community feeling which is weird because you don’t know the people. But that aspect of it makes me so excited.”
Soon after wrapping up her first Boston Marathon Gordon said she decided she would jump on the chance to participate again the following year.
“It’s such a prestigious event; even being able to get a slot in it is really difficult Gordon said. And because I’m doing it for charity I didn’t have to qualify – so I had to take advantage of that.”
As luck would have it registration for the 2009 Boston Marathon rolled around and Gordon still had a slot on Team Hoyt. Driscoll who knew Gordon from the cross country team was also interested in running for Team Hoyt and inquired about any possible openings for the marathon.
“I knew that Amanda Gordon had done it before me he said. I gave her a call and they had one spot open on Team Hoyt and they accepted me.”
Driscoll who will be running in his third marathon said it has been tough to squeeze in runs during the week as he is taking 19 units this semester works at the school library and on top of that recently got engaged. However he said he enjoys the physical and mental exertion of the 26.2-mile race and the preparation that goes into it.
“I’ve done it before and I know what the pain’s like Driscoll said. It’s really not that bad. It’s more mentally challenging than physically challenging when you get on the course.”
Bergh a Boston native will be following in the footsteps of his father Charles who has ran for Massachusetts General Hospital in the past.
“I’ve gotten into running over the last year and my dad has run the Boston Marathon the past few years with the team I’m running for Bergh said. I just wanted to see if I could join him in the process and push myself to do something significant during my senior year of college. My family lives in Boston so it’s kind of a big thing to do it in my hometown in front of family and friends.”
Although this will be Bergh’s first full marathon he said he has two half-marathons under his belt including a 13.1-miler he ran on Saturday in Augora Hills. Like Driscoll Bergh said time management has been important in the training process.
“The training schedule … builds up to where you have one long run each week and a couple shorter ones Bergh said. It’s a matter of being able to squeeze in time every other day to cut out an hour for running and these long runs we do take three or four hours. It’s been tough but at the same time it’s made me prioritize to get stuff done more efficiently.”
This year Gordon Driscoll and the rest of Team Hoyt has had the opportunity to train under professional long-distance runner Uta Pippig the first woman to win three consecutive Boston Marathons.
“It’s just awesome having a runner of that caliber helping us out Driscoll said. It just goes to show how important this charity is that someone like that is going out of her way to train people who are average everyday runners.”
In addition to gearing up for the physical challenges of the marathon Gordon Driscoll and Bergh have been working to raise money for their charities. Gordon and Driscoll have each pledged to raise $3000 for Team Hoyt while Bergh has pledged $3500 for Masachusetts General Hospital.
According to Driscoll if the runners do not reach their pledged amount by April 20 the remainder will come out of their own pockets. Gordon said it has been difficult to ask for money in the current economic climate and that the three of them can use all the help they can get.
“It’s hard for people to give money Gordon said. It’s really hard to make the time to try and ask people for money. But I couldn’t feel better about asking for money for this cause – it’s such a worthy cause.”
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Ed. note: To assist Gordon Driscoll and Bergh in their efforts to raise money for Team Hoyt and Massachusetts General Hospital please visit their fundraising Web pages below:
www.firstgiving.org/amandagordonwww.firstgiving.org/jasondriscollwww.firstgiving.org/keithbergh