February 17, 2005
Boston, MA February 17, 2005. In November, a local financial organization anonymously donated five Marathon numbers to The Boston Rescue Mission (BRM). Given this opportunity, BRM created a unique 5-person marathon team comprised of a corporate community leader and BRM board member, two homeless advocates, and two recovering addicts, Anthony and Erica, who are currently in BRM's residential recovery program. Anthony and Erica came to BRM last November without a safe and sober place to live. Four months later they have begun turning their lives around and have been training diligently since January for the Boston Marathon.
Shortly after creating our team, many local business and individuals have already come together to support our extraordinary team including New Balance who donated their footwear and training apparel, and Rio Fitness Center who has given us full access to their training facilities.
Each of the team members has undergone amazing changes due to the unlikely friendships our team has forged. To learn more about our team please visit the website www.brm.org.
Runner Bios's
Erica – Erica is 25 years old and came to the Kingston House in October to begin her recovery from drug addiction. Originally from Caribou, Maine and raised in Presque Isle, she ran for a Jr. Olympics team in her youth and competed in track and cross-country in high school. Erica was recently hired to a full-time position and has been working since the beginning of January. She was quite nervous about facing the job process sober, but has excelled so far and is likely to be retained permanently by her company. She usually finds time to train in the evenings after work and before her recovery meetings.
Anthony – Anthony is 36 years old and is from the Boston area. His mother raised him and his seven brothers and sisters as a single parent. At the age of 14 Anthony began using drugs and alcohol and has spent the last 20 years in and out of trouble. Anthony has some previous running experience. He ran track in high school and three years ago he ran a half-marathon in Boston. He has a diligent work ethic that is displayed both in the way he completes his in-house job assignments and his dedication to training and weightlifting. In early February he completed a 16 mile run, his longest so far.
The Boston Rescue Mission has been caring for the poor and needy of Greater Boston since 1899. The Mission is located in the Downtown Crossing neighborhood and operates an overnight shelter and a substance abuse recovery residential program for men and women, among other services. For more information about the BRM, its services or the Marathon team contact Andrew Ross at 617-482-8819, x1230 or via email at aross@brm.org
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA, is a leading manufacturer of technologically innovative width-sized performance footwear and athletic apparel for women, men, and children. The range of product categories includes running, walking, cross training, basketball, tennis, adventure, and kids. New Balance employs more than 2,600 people around the globe, and in 2004 reported worldwide sales of $1.46 billion. For more information please visit http://www.newbalance.com
