Dave McGillivray to
Run his 42nd Boston Marathon in Support of the Martin W. Richard
Charitable Foundation
Renowned race
director also will provide keynote address at NSGA in April and serve as
commencement speaker at two schools in May
BOSTON (April 1, 2014) ÛÒ Dave McGillivray
of DMSE Sports, the renowned race director of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon, has a
busy spring and summer planned.
Next month, he will run his 42nd
Boston Marathon run ÛÒ after everyone has crossed the finish line on April 21
and his work is done ÛÒ to benefit the Martin W. Richard
Charitable Foundation, which was formed by the parents of the
8-year-old boy killed at the Boston Marathon bombings last year. To donate, go
to this link set up for McGillivrayÛªs run.
ÛÏThis is a wonderful
foundation for a very special boy,Û McGillivray said. ÛÏI am proud to be running
in his honor that day.Û
McGillivray actually ran the entire historic
26.2-mile course this past Saturday as a training run and felt great. ÛÏFinally,
I am in decent shape this time of year and am looking forward to marathon day
like all the other 36,000 runners.Û
Also, in late April, he will serve as keynote
speaker at the Third Annual All-Star Awards Luncheon of the NSGA (National
Sporting Goods Association) Annual Conference in Palm Springs,
California.
“McGillivray is unique in that he is
both an accomplished athlete and businessman. He knows what it takes to
complete an endurance event and also the painstaking detail and management that
go into a successfully run event, from a 40,000-person marathon to a 500-person
charity walk,” the NSGA Program says.
A
motivational speaker, McGillivray also will be the commencement speaker at
Newbury College in Brookline, Mass. on Sunday, May 11, and at Tabor Academy in
Marion, Mass. on May 27.
He
also plans to run 60 miles as part of his annual birthday run in August ÛÒ
something he has done since age 12 when he discovered running was his passion.
This year heÛªll have to fit it in around DMSEÛªs management of two of the
countryÛªs most iconic road races ÛÒ the TD Beach to Beacon 10K on Aug. 2 and the
New Balance Falmouth Road Race on Aug. 18. McGillivray turns 60 on Aug. 22.
ÛÏIt
may seem a little over the top to do these long runs year after year, especially
at my advancing age, but itÛªs a tradition and IÛªm still excited about the
challenge as I was 40-years ago,Û he said.
McGillivray
has spent much of his life on the run. He gained national prominence with his
1978 cross country run that took 80 days and raised almost $150,000 for the
Jimmy Fund ÛÒ the first money any runner ever raised for a cancer charity,
according to RunnerÛªs World. He has completed a number of similar feats
of endurance since his groundbreaking cross country trek, including a second
cross-country run in 2004 from San Francisco to Boston as part of TREK USA, a
relay team event that raised more than $300,000 for five childrenÛªs charities.
He has now logged more than 150,000 miles, eight Hawaii Ironman Triathlons and
finished 130 marathons ÛÒ including 41 (soon to be 42) consecutive Boston
Marathons.
McGillivray
is a pioneer in what is now one of the most important aspects of the endurance
sports industry ÛÒ combining athletics with philanthropy. Nearly every DMSE
event combines fitness and fundraising, giving back to the Jimmy Fund and
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, ChildrenÛªs Hospital, Lazarus House and many
others charities and non-profit organizations in New England and across the
country. He along with all the events he has directed have helped raised $100
million for charity over the years.
After
a medical scare last fall, when McGillivray learned he had coronary heart
disease, he has spoken out about getting healthy and going in for heart tests,
even if you think you are healthy and in shape. ÛÏAlthough I am fit, IÛªve
recently learned that doesnÛªt mean IÛªm necessarily healthy I have
coronary heart disease. So it can happen to anyone,Û he said. Since last fall,
he has lost 27 pounds, dropped his cholesterol level by over 70 points and has
been following a very, very strict and healthy diet, which he credits as having
given him his health back and now feels he is in his best shape in 15
years. McGillivray actually plans to return to Kona, Hawaii in October to
participate in the Ironman Triathlon World Championship for the ninth time ÛÒ
but his first in the past 25 years.
About
DMSE Sports
Founded
by McGillivray in 1981, DMSE Sports is a leader in sports event management,
specializing in creating, marketing and producing mass participatory athletic
events throughout the U.S. and abroad. In addition to the B.A.A. Boston
Marathon, DMSE manages more than 25 major road races per year, including the TD
Beach to Beacon in Maine, the New Balance Falmouth Road Race on Cape Cod, the
Finish at the 50 at Patriot Place, Run for the Dream in Williamsburg, Va., the
Bellin Run in Green Bay, Wis., the Feaster Five Thanksgiving Day Road Race and
the Across the Bay 10K in Annapolis, Maryland, among others. For more info,
visit www.dmsesports.com.