From Randy's introduction at a school presentation, read by a blind student
For many of us we read about Randy’s speaking engagements and the interactions he has with the children in our communities. However we don’t always have a chance to see them firsthand.
Donavan reading his introduction
Randy and Donavan enjoying a few moments together
I was lucky to have this chance as I traveled with Randy from Dover, New Hampshire to Portland, Maine. I watched a great deal of these speaking engagements through my camera lens, which I hope gives you a chance to see Randy sharing his message.
Our morning began at Woodland Park Elementary School in Dover. We received a wonderful greeting at the door from Donavan who would be introducing Randy to his entire school. Donavan is in the second grade, and like Randy, he is blind. He read his introduction using Braille and with much exuberance told his fellow classmates that Randy climbs mountains, has a dog named The Mighty Quinn, and asked “Did you know he is also blind like me?”
"I have a question!" Woodland Park Elementary School
The students were incredibly attentive to Randy and I am certain it wasn’t only because of his cute dog. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I probably took 15 pictures of Quinn alone in his cute dog poses.) Students asked thoughtful questions and kept their hands raised in hopes of being able to ask the next question.
Woodland Park Elementary School
Portland, Maine was our next stop to speak to the students at East End Community School. They heard about some of Randy’s initial challenges and the progression of his vision loss. Randy also talked about the work that Quinn provides for him and the independence it continues to give him in his life.
East End Community School
Randy showing the kids how he uses technology to help him in his life
Randy and Quinn having a hug at the end of a presentation
Most importantly, Randy communicated his message encouraging children to accomplish the things they want in their life. Randy’s words: if they try… if they work hard… they can do it. Don’t give up in the face of the challenges. Keep working. You can do it.
These words were well received to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students as well as this student of life.
WCSH Channel 6 saying hello to Quinn
If having three presentations thus far was not enough, we dropped in at WCSH Channel 6 as Randy was being interviewed by Rob Cadwell for their “207” program. After the interview, Quinn got the “Off Duty” call from Randy and could enjoy some hard earned love from some of his new fans.
Our day did not stop there as we were now headed to the University of Southern Maine to attend the Guiding Eyes of Maine event. I learned something new about Quinn and I think we now share something in common: we like puppies.
Now, the Mighty Quinn is diligent in his work like none other and always the consummate canine professional. But you put a few other canine professionals in the room and it is like a reunion!
Do I really need to give a caption to puppies?
“Hiiiiiiiiii! I’m Quinn! Who are you?!?!?! I am so excited to see you!!!!! Oh wait… was I supposed to be taking Randy someplace right now?”
While Randy was doing some meet and greets before his next speaking engagement, I headed over to the see the future canine professionals… the pups!
The finale of our day was Randy speaking to an audience of all different ages and all different abilities about his journey and his future. As it was said in the introduction of Randy “[he] makes the most out of life and will make you want to do the same.”
We all have abilities in our lives. Some come with known and unknown challenges, however we need to see beyond them. We need to work beyond them.
We can’t have these challenges hold us back. We can get to where we want to be. Simply put… we can.
I have been privileged to speak at many events for many different audiences. This week’s opportunity feels particularly special as I prepare a commencement address for the White Mountain Community College.
Given this is my first commencement, I thought some research appropriate. One of my discoveries was the presentation at the 2012 Wellesley High School commencement I’ll keep in mind for this upcoming opportunity and similarly for my high school alma mater, Colebrook Academy, in June.
“You are Not Special” is a powerful, albeit controversial, presentation by David McCullough, Jr., an English teacher at Wellesley High. While I felt he began weakly, many powerful points joined his insightful and “incite-full” commentary. The final few minutes hold the crux of his message and I suggest it is a worthy listen for all of us.
Capturing just one of his quotes which resonated for me: “Climb the mountain so that you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” It is within the experiences we should find the most value, not the accolades. Our best achievements are in the choices we make, not the accomplishments we recite. There is potency to the dichotomy that if everyone is special then nobody is special.
This does not mean that we are not all uniquely talented nor that we may not all achieve very worthy goals. Indeed, should we choose to reach for worthy goals, we very well may find ourselves achieving them.
A commencement is a beginning. It is given at the start of the next phase of the graduates’ lives. How challenging it is to attempt to impart upon those present a spark of wisdom or inspiration from the tinder of years of their own efforts at developing their lives, helped by the influence of so many dedicated teachers, family and friends. I am honored and grateful for the opportunity and will try to share a bit of the vision I’ve developed through my experiences. The full depth of the message I’ll save for my time with those graduates.
For now, I reflect upon the tagline of our 2020 Vision Quest which is to “Achieve a Vision Beyond Your Sight.” This is not only to develop a vision beyond your sight but to achieve it. There’s a fair bit of work involved in both of those steps; fortunately, there is an incredible reward in reaching for those goals and more still in persevering and working hard enough for the achievement as well.
Using Voice Over on my Apple (IOS) device has been one of the many liberating solutions to many blind challenges. Recently an application called “TapTapSee” was made available for free! It’s a one-button push camera which then uses servers on the internet to process the picture and report back a brief description of the image. While not flawless, the power of this product is incredible as it quickly identified Quinn as “A yellow labrador retriever lying on a blue rug.”
I’ve loved the power of this simple-to-use application which provides me a considerable amount of information I might not otherwise gather. I’ve tested it in many situations to get a description of a hotel room, a table setting, my own clothes, find my favorite mug and even learn what various friends are wearing. The most detailed example it ever provided was in accurately describing a friend who was wearing “man in a cookie monster T-shirt with a plaid coat and pajamas.”
The thought of that level of description for my friend is powerful but it also leads to a concern. While I certainly appreciate the power to basically turn on a snapshot of sight for a moment, when is this process an invasion of privacy and how far will this technology develop?
An ideal potential development might be the ability to shoot continuous video and have description which might even use facial recognition to identify which of my friends are nearby. But the challenge is that all of these images are being loaded onto the web and processed, which means there is an even greater privacy impact. Is the benefit of this to a blind person worth the impact on all those in “sight” of the camera?
These questions are going to be raised and I think it’s worthwhile to discuss them now. So what are your thoughts?
I did not run the 117th Boston marathon and I was safely at home listening to results of many friends on Patriots Day 2013. A very significant part of me was there, however, and a very beautiful part of it will be with me forever more as a result.
One day earlier I’d run the festive finish line route in the BAA 5k with my good friend Jennifer and of course with the Mighty Quinn Guiding me on a course no Guide Dog had previously worked. While I saw none of it, the energy surrounded us both. Quinn enthusiastically responded with extra exuberance because even one day before the main event, the incredible community of this race had already arrived to support people expressing the freedom and accomplishment of rising to a challenge.
One day later, the marathon’s official race would finish at the same point and the community of support surrounding every aspect of this incredibly inspiring event. Some will tell how the finish was marred by a horrific act of senseless cruelty. I see a different and far more positive ending.
I won’t deny any of the tragedy, horror, or terror but fortunately it didn’t end there. Immediately the same Boston community that creates this unparalleled experience of the Marathon reacted with the heroism and selfless determination which is the beauty in such things.
My friend and 2020 VQ volunteer, Rick Stevenson, shared with me a popular quote from Mr. Rogers’ mother for times when it seemed it wasn’t a beautiful day in the neighborhood. She suggested that at such times we “Watch the Helpers.” I did watch them, from the famous folk like Joe Andruzzi, to the incredible medical teams running into danger, to the common person surging into action to do the right thing and help. It’s overwhelming to see the human spirit in full glory and this day in Boston we did.
I could try to say a lot more about the power of this community but a race runner gave us exactly the written record everyone should read. As such let me simply send you to his work:
We don't know Quinn's voiceover actor yet, but maybe you have suggestions?
We are thrilled to announce the confirmation of a Quinn story concept with PIXAR films! Certainly we’ve been amazed and tremendously proud of the incredible accomplishments of the Mighty Quinn, but this possibility goes beyond all our expectations. This will be an important leap forward in raising awareness and sharing the adventures of Quinn and our 2020 Vision Quest to the masses!
The story will begin with his roots in the Puppies Behind Bars program, intending to showcase his heartwarming connection that changes the life of a prisoner who finally finds someone (Quinn of course) to believe in him and share the unconditional bond which is part of the amazing reality of a dog.
There will be some highlights of our connecting at Guiding Eyes for the Blind which will also showcase some classic training and learning blunders and wonders. This will fill the segments with a rapid-fire bit of fun and touching moments as we grow into a team together.
Graduation from the school launches us back to New Hampshire and almost immediately into our Hollywood-style dramatization of the mountain climbing adventures in the summer as training for the amazing winter hikes. While the reality of our tale has more than enough excitement for reality, PIXAR will undoubtedly embellish the tale here to make this an instant spectacle beyond what we could have ever envisioned when we began our quest!
We loved the movie “Bolt” but hope “Quinn’s Quest” will be the kind of blockbuster success which changes lives forever, both here at 2020 Vision Quest and the other folks who watch Quinn’s well deserved feature film. The only real challenge ahead for this project is that the announcement happens to be on April 1st…
…And as such we must sadly report this is only a well intended April Fools joke–at least for now!
I’m covering the blog this week as Randy recovers from his recent whirlwind of school presentations. Randy will be back next week!
Recently, I was having a bad day at work. It was one of those terribly busy days when everything seemed to be taking twice as long to get done as it should have. So when my cell phone started buzzing on my desk, I glanced at the unfamiliar number on the caller ID and then looked back at my screen, letting the call go to voicemail.
I was curious, though; I looked up the area code and saw that it was from Kentucky. I don’t know anyone in Kentucky, but whoever called me from there had left me a message. Soon the curiosity was great enough that I took a break from the spreadsheet I was working on and called up my voicemail.
A woman’s friendly Southern-accented voice greeted me. “Hi, this is Mary Ann calling on behalf of Doctors Without Borders. We just really wanted to say thank you so much for joining our field monthly giving program and we wanted to say welcome to the team.” She went on to tell me that I would receive a welcome kit in the mail in a few weeks and that I would be invited to special events and conference calls where they would talk more about their work. She ended with, “We thank you so much for your commitment.”
You see, part of my 2013 resolution was to do more things that focused outside of myself and focused more on helping others. It’s very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day trials and tribulations of one’s own life–I felt like I needed to get out of my own head a little more and get some perspective, and to “pay it forward.” In addition to the work I already do with 2020 Vision Quest, I also decided to become a regular donor (albeit a small one) to Doctors Without Borders.
The concept of Doctors Without Borders (or Medecins Sans Frontieres, commonly shortened to MSF) completely floors me. Their mission is to provide medical aid “to those most in need regardless of their race, religion, or political affiliation,” to quote the website. They are a completely neutral humanitarian organization. They are not affiliated with any religious or political group. They purposely do not accept gifts from corporations that come into direct conflict with their mission, so as to retain their independent status. 90% of their gifts come from private donors.
Wherever there are epidemics, malnutrition, natural disasters, or those excluded from healthcare, MSF will most often be there too. They were in Thailand after the 2004 tsunami, Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, and Japan after the 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. They have set up projects in the most dangerous and war-torn places in the world, such as South Sudan, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria. They help people who need it most, regardless of who has fought against whom.
In the current climate of religious and political divisiveness in this country (the US), I find it very refreshing and heartening to remember humanitarian organizations like this exist for the sole purpose of helping people in need simply because we’re all people together on this planet and it’s the right thing to do. Making the world a better place benefits us all.
Nick Lawson, MSF-USA’s Director of Field Human Resources said it best in a recent newsletter I received:
“I think medical professionals like to work with MSF because it takes them back to the fundamental essence of the medical act and the Hippocratic oath. They can use their skills to do excellent work that’s not about the HMO or the legal environment. It’s about doing the very best you can as a human being to benefit another human being. That’s the essence of MSF.”
Further demonstrating their commitment to their mission, MSF puts 86% of their donations back into their programs and services, with 12.7% going towards fundraising and just 1.3% going towards management and other general expenses. For me, these statistics feel like an assurance that a donation to them will be used to the most direct benefit possible of people in need.
It humbles me to think about the work of charity organizations, who help others with no expectation of compensation. It reminds me that enriching someone else’s life is a reward unto itself. It puts things into perspective and encourages me not to dwell too much on what I perceive as difficulties in my own life.
Perhaps, too, this perspective will give me courage to try things I might not have before. As the 2020 Vision Quest mission states: ”Achieve a vision beyond your sight.” Here’s to having the courage to try to make a difference!
For more information about Doctors Without Borders / Medecins Sans Frontieres, please visit their website: www.doctorswithoutborders.org
As the one-year anniversary of our historic winter hiking arrived, I tried to re-live the many experiences in my mind. A few words written from a recent winter hike hung pleasantly over much of that reflection:
Snow is crunching under my feet in sharp contrast to the blanket hush of deep snow upon the entirety of the forest around me. Distantly, I can hear the winds assault upon the higher peaks of the ridge line above us. We are traversing beneath the Cannon Balls towards the Kinsman ridge and the only words I’d heard recently were expressions of awe for the beauty of our surroundings. “You simply cannot describe this or see it within a picture with the depth of its reality!” Smiling to myself, I know that despite not seeing it I can feel it within me and in the responses of those with me. I think there are things within these experiences which draw us into contemplation that feeds the mind and spirit even as the body is challenged to grow with the efforts of coming to such a place. It’s simply marvelous and it’s one of many reasons why I hike here in these glorious White Mountains.
"Whistle while you work... doo dee doot doot doo doo doo..." Photo courtesy of Justin Fuller.
Our film of the quest, “Four More Feet,” has been shown in most of the New England states and have been appreciated by many attending the events, with hundreds of copies of the DVD being brought away to share with friends and family. The requests for more viewings of the film have been steady and one year later we have a few more opportunities that we are excited to share.
Our final public showing of the film, unless a surprising opportunity arrives, will be sponsored by the University of New Hampshire’s outdoor education program. We’ll be in the Memorial Union Building Theater, a place where I spent many working hours as an undergraduate. The OE program also was instrumental in helping Quinn and me enhance our hiking knowledge and experience and ultimately helped facilitate our success in the single winter season in the White Mountains!
Final showing date:
Date: 3/25/2013 Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location:
MUB Theater II
83 Main Street
Durham, NH 03824
I hope to once again share the film with a packed theater as we’ve been so fortunate to do with most of our showings. We will entertain a Q&A session as well as having Quinn’s Pawtograph available to anyone obtaining a copy of the DVD from what very well may be our last public showing. We hope to make a grand event – finishing where a lot of things started for us!
We are also very pleased to announce that for a very limited time, for any donation of $25 or more, we will ship you a copy of the DVD shipped anywhere in the continental United States if you so choose. This offer goes live on starting on the anniversary of our success, March 10, and lasts until we launch what we expect is our final official hiking schedule for the non-winter 48 on May 18. If you would like to receive a copy, just let us know and send us a name and address to which the DVD should be sent at randy@2020VisionQuest.org.
As an all-volunteer staff incredibly busy with the core mission of our charity, this DVD is normally not available for mail-order, but we absolutely want to share the opportunity for everyone to experience this remarkable journey captured so well by filmmaker Dina Sutin. As such we provide this limited opportunity and hope it will ensure the film is shared with everyone who can benefit from the inspirational message it provides!
The full details are on the front page of our website for 2020 Vision Quest.
Let’s put a few miles into the efforts of “Four More Feet!”
"Just four more feet!" Photo courtesy of Justin Fuller.
NEVI Fest Group photo. Courtesy of the NEVI Fest Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NEVIFest
Why does a totally blind person find himself on a massive mountain skiing by the sounds of the skier ahead of him?
Roughly thirty participants of varying levels of visual impairment accepted the opportunity presented by NEVI and joined forces with the Maine Adaptive Ski Program on Mt. Sugarloaf to answer this question! I’m going to share a bit of my experience for part of that answer.
I’m also going to tell you that the organizations, volunteers, and certainly the participants were all sources of inspiration which tower over that hill and will help encourage and motivate me for a long time!
In fact, I find it a little ironic that I was asked to help kick off the festival by sharing a bit of the motivational speaking we do for 2020 Vision Quest. I was glad to share experiences, anecdotes, and philosophies which are part of my enjoyment of life. The many questions and comments made it clear there were many kindred spirits in the room and a fine adventure was undoubtedly ahead for all of us.
In 1982, I took one group lesson at the Wilderness ski area in Dixville Notch, NH. It comprised of very little time and three short runs down the bunny slope. I was fully sighted back then and virtually nothing of the experience was with me 31 years later! I knew of many blind skiers including some totally blind like myself–but knowing and choosing to put the kind of trust required into a guide was going to be an entirely different approach.
Randy and Brent on the slopes. Photo courtesy of Brent Bell, Professor of Outdoor Education at UNH.
Certainly I’ve come to put that trust into Quinn over a long time together and fortunately my good friend Brent Bell has had time earning my trust on the mountains and in life. It helped to know he had past experiences with blind skiers and we were working together to problem solve. I have long taken the philosophy that I’d rather be a “problem solver” rather than a “risk taker.”
We spent time prior to being on the snow talking about the approaches of communication, the equipment and the process of skiing so that when Monday morning arrived we had a reasonable understanding of how to approach things. Stepping onto the snowy flats by the bunny slope we attempted the basic athletic stance, and shuffles soon led to short slides and using a wedge to control my speed or stop. This led more quickly than we expected into turns and soon we were gliding down the hill with steadily decreasing awkwardness. The three-day progression of what we learned together is obvious in my work and in Brent’s guiding.
Our basic technique was that he would ski ahead of me and I would triangulate on his voice to know the elevation changes and the precision of his turns. This required him to keep up reasonably steady “chatter.” That chatter would develop steadily into words that would give me further information such as “Right turn starting now” or “Sweeping left turn” or even “Hard left turn – turn – turn – turn!” It also requires that chatter not result in misinformation from common speech dualities such as right for the turn and “right” for “correct” or “right” for the descriptor such as “right now!” That’s why the amusing term of “filler” was often used as we progressed and I need to hear his voice for location but not hear an erroneous unintended word.
The folks at NEVI and Maine Adaptive Skiing have many tools for helping folks with this learning process, such as the bamboo pole which put me between two skilled skiers and provided speed control on their end while I learned to focus and practice parallel turns or “carving!” Often an instructor would ski behind and share observations and suggestions for both the blind/visually impaired skier as well as the Guide. The goal was clearly to build a steadily more effective and safe team.
As my skills and speed increased we switched to the speaker pack, allowing Brent to ski facing forward with a steady sound source for me to follow. This cut through the wind of higher elevations, the ski sounds on icier and faster turns as well as the distances speed variations occasionally caused. In short, the learning and fun of the experience seemed to continually progress and we think it’s pretty evident in a video shot on each of the first three days I spent learning to ski blind!
Randy’s First Day on Skis
Randy Learns to Carve on Day 2
Third Day’s Final Run
Those are the basics of how we approached my learning to ski blind. Our initial question was why would someone undertake this experience? I heard one younger participant express themselves: “I’ve never felt so much freedom in my life.” Many people find themselves tethered by aspects of their lives. I suspect many find the ski slopes an outlet for escaping from that if only for a time. This too is even truer for some of the visually impaired world. For blind people, it can be a cane-tapping obstacle after obstacle or perhaps holding the arm of a sighted human guide or even my favorite hand on the harness of the Mighty Quinn, Guide Dog extraordinaire! It still has our immediate personal space connected to another restrictive influence upon our motion, even as all three may grant us well appreciated safety and efficiency of moving.
Upon the slopes we likely have a guided influence but one which expands the borders well beyond our personal space and increases the opportunity for speed and the ability to cover so much more ground than we might ever normally experience under our own control. I certainly found it exhilarating–all the moreso when I realized gliding was such a smooth speed that if I did not drag my ski poles to increase my awareness of the terrain and speed, I would often have little appreciation for just how fast I was moving!
I heard so many moments of individual growth and accomplishment, not only among the participants, but amongst the volunteers sharing the experience with us all. Pride of accomplishment brought me back to the old “Thrill of Victory and Agony of Defeat” mantra of the television program “The Wide World of Sports.” This particular occasion really showcased the victory of everyone who made the choice to be involved in the experiences made possible by the NEVI dream.
Quinn looks anxiously out at Randy: "Dad, what are you doing?!?"
This was their second annual international festival and so many people are essential to a dream becoming a reality. Scott Anderson and Bruce Albiston may get the forefront and deservedly so, but the list of other names who were pivotal to an incredible experience are worthy of a separate blog. I look forward to helping their organization more directly in the near future to achieve their vision of growing still more this year.
Attendees from Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and Sudan were only some of the many distant travelling participants. Literally hundreds of volunteers made it all work seemingly seamlessly and almost all of them will tell you that missing the chance to be a part of this experience in any way is a lost opportunity for something truly special. Thank you to everyone for yet another life changing enrichment of my already adventurous and fortunate life. I hope to share this with many others in the future!
I would be remiss to not share the role of the Mighty Quinn in all of these adventures. We were given a condo directly on the ski slopes and our sliding glass door looked out onto the slope where the Mighty Quinn would watch for our passing and our return.
In the morning we’d step out our door onto the slope and ski down to breakfast. At lunch we’d ski to the door and take Quinn for a lunch time adventure with him guiding and getting his rewards. In the afternoon we repeated the process while he watched yet again. At the end of the final run he’d take over for dinner or whatever adventures awaited. We made sure that it included one of his favorite experiences as an evening inner-tube sledding adventure became a chance for Quinn to stretch those mighty legs and chase us down the slopes.
Despite all the fun and excitement of the ski adventures it always comes down to those who change our lives. There were many of them on this trip but always foremost is my magnificent Dog Guide, the Mighty Quinn!
Randy and Quinn go inner tubing at the end of the day!
Quinn and Randy are not the only blind team hitting the trails in New Hampshire. Gonzo, a blind Alaskan husky, is running with the team thanks in large part to adaptive techniques he developed with his brother Poncho!
When the young dog began tripping over his food dish, a veterinarian soon diagnosed the blindness and more importantly this treatment: “Keep him running!” That is exactly what the great folks at Muddy Paws Kennel decided to do with him and the two run side by side as an effective part of the 8-dog team.
Gonzo leans into his brother’s shoulder, which initially drew a less than enthusiastic response. Poncho soon realized his brother was using the contact to determine speed and turns. With the primary problem understood, the two began to effectively work together demonstrating yet another incredible example of “Ability Awareness.”
Having hiked along trails where travel has packed it sufficiently for increased speed, I’ve personally faced the challenge of blindness causing me to step too close to the edge and thus plummeting into a “post hole.” Sometimes the snow mere inches off the packed sections can drop several feet into soft powdery snow.
When this happened for Gonzo on one deeper trail, Poncho immediately leaned over and took the harness into his jaws and pulled his scrambling brother back onto the trail. Problem-solving on the fly has kept the team running successfully in NH’s North Country.
This reminds me of the benefit of working with others to find the best solutions to keep us in pursuit of our goals and dreams. I am eager for Quinn and me to make the trip north and visit these guys and thank them personally for the joint mission we share!
Recently I was invited to join Team Vision as a non-qualified blind runner of the Boston Marathon in April of this year. While I could probably push a training plan to be ready, and while my goal is to run Boston eventually, it was the right decision for me to say no at this time. Given all the efforts I am applying towards supporting 2020 Vision Quest, it wasn’t the right time to try to fundraise separately for the Boston Marathon.
It was very difficult to turn down the offer, but it will help invigorate my preparations for this as a future project, perhaps as soon as next year.
Meanwhile, I wanted to share a note of encouraged support for Team Vision and the visually impaired runner who motivated my invitation. Thanks to Erich Manser, and good luck! I hope to be part of your support this year and perhaps part of the team soon!
***
Massachusetts Association for the Blind (MAB) was founded 110 years ago by Helen Keller and a group of illustrious Bostonians to serve adults who were blind or visually impaired. MAB is the oldest social service organization in the country serving adults who are blind.
MABVI’s TEAM WITH A VISION :::2013 BOSTON MARATHON
This year, Marathon Monday will have more blind and visually-impaired athletes running over Heartbreak Hill than ever before. We seek the support of your organization to truly optimize and celebrate this remarkable occasion.
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY — WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
· Financial Support: A charitable donation to MAB Community Services OR funding assistance to support “Marathon Weekend” logistics (i.e. TWAV Pasta Supper, airport transportation for out-of-town athletes, shuttles to starting line in Hopkinton, etc.)
· Volunteers: If your employees/members can offer time, rides (airport, starting line) or other forms of voluntary support
· Spectators: We hope to have the noisiest cheering section of the entire marathon route, but this takes PEOPLE. With a prime spot at mile 24.5 (near MAB, with parking and restrooms) — we need LOUD support as these inspiring athletes near the finish!
PLEASE CONTACT ERICH MANSER (erichmanser@hotmail.com) or 978-227-5678 for more information. THANK YOU!
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