Man's Eleventh-Hour Boston Marathon Signup Will Honor Sandy Hook Parent
BOSTON (CBS) - On his CrowdRise page, Dan Friedman, notes, "I could be the last person signing up to run the 2019 Boston Marathon."
So what has Dan Friedman starting training just two-and-a-half weeks before the Boston Marathon?
His father.
Rob Friedman manages the John Hancock Boston Marathon sponsorship. With one last bib in hand, Rob Friedman heard about the death of Jeremy Richman on March 25, which has since been ruled a suicide.
Richman and his wife, Jen, founded the Avielle Foundation after their daughter, 6-year-old Avielle, was killed in the Sandy Hook Massacre on Dec. 14, 2012.
"What happened to Jeremy was just unspeakable, and it was important for me to support him," Rob Friedman said.
So he thought about who he could get to run the Boston Marathon in Richman's honor with just about three weeks notice. Then, he called his son, Dan, who he said is generally in "marathon shape."
Since then, Dan Friedman has been training and raising money for the Aveille Foundation, which aims to prevent violence and build compassion, through both neuroscience research and community outreach and education.
"I don't know necessarily what kind of marathon shape I'm in – or not. I think because of what it's for and the meaning behind it … that really helps ... just all I've got to do is put one foot in front of the other," said Dan Friedman.
And even if the Friendmans don't raise much money for the foundation, they're raising awareness, which is just as important.
As Jeremy Richman said, "Compassion is the ability to feel somebody else's suffering."
UPDATE: Dan Friedman finished the Boston Marathon in 4:10:59
Watch: WBZ-TV's Steve Burton talks to Dan and his father Rob
To donate to the Friedman's fundraising efforts, visit their CrowdRise page.
