Boston Run For a Cure

Written By: Jane Jerry | Issue: 2018/06 - June

Ask any member of the Rotary Club of Highlands their favorite aspect of membership, and chances are they’ll say “the fellowship.”

Unexpected relationships form through club membership. A very special friendship was celebrated in April when Brian Egler, a member of the Rotary Club of Highlands, ran his 18th Boston Marathon.

This one was different – not only because he’s hanging up his running shoes and turning into a race volunteer – but most especially because he ran in honor of fellow Rotarian Christy Kelly. Brian’s effort has always benefitted Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Honoring Christy gave his race a very personal face as she combats a recurrence of cancer. Following the race, Brian blogged about his day, giving his supporters a vicarious and visceral window into his experience. Let this column be a means of compounding interest …and moving Brian closer to his lifetime goal of $100,000 raised for cancer research. (He’s only $2,650 away to achieving the goal as of this writing!)

“The 2018 Boston Marathon was an epic adventure!,” he says. “Out of all the 18 ‘Bostons’ I’ve run, this was the worst weather, for sure! Constant rain, high winds and cold temperatures for the whole race.

“The fashion of the day was the Rain Poncho; we all expected that early in the race the wind and rain would subside and we’d dispense with the ponchos. But the rain didn’t stop and that didn’t happen. So thousands of colorful ponchos were discarded on Hereford Street just before the finish, giving a rainbow effect to the road but also making it a tricky final maneuver to avoid slippery plastic with less than half a mile to go. Everyone wanted to look good for the finish line!

“The weather made it tough for the spectators, too. Nonetheless, there were folks all along the way, cheering us on. As always, I chanted to myself ‘Cancer’s hard, “Heartbreak Hill” is just a hill.’ My clear poncho meant spectators and other runners could see I honored Christy Kelly today.

The child cancer patients of Dana-Farber gathered to cheer at mile 25, making the final mile a breeze: a celebration and realization of why we were running in this incredible, crazy marathon! Crossing that finish line, as always, felt amazing. My official time was 5:31, not my quickest (1994 3:53), but not my slowest (2012 5:34), so I’ll take that happily! Some hot chicken soup and a massage set me up for a nice meal (and first beer of 2018!) at Legal Seafoods with family and friends to finish off a special day to raise funds for a great cause. Thanks to everyone who supported cancer research!”

Dana-Farber is still accepting donations − with your help, Brian is within $2,650 of his $100,000 life-time fundraising goal across 18 marathons. Checks can be made payable to “Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge” and sent to Brian Egler at: PO Box 2743, Highlands, NC 28741 or online at runDFMC.org/2018/briane