The Boston Marathon was Monday, and a couple of NBC10 Boston and necn team members joined the fun.
Anchor Nick Emmons and reporter Perry Russom finished the 123rd Boston Marathon on Monday, raising funds for causes that are dear to them.
Emmons ran as a part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge to raise money for cancer research. He said his father was diagnosed with lung cancer several years ago, something he said was a gut punch for him and his family.
"He has braved the countless treatments, and side effects, and the frustrating ups and downs of doctor’s appointments," Emmons said before the race. "While most of us would want to curl up into the fetal position, he's powered through the sickness and pain."
With his father’s "Fight On!" mantra in mind, Emmons joined the race in hopes to inspire his father, who has been an inspiration to him.
"It's kind of an emotional experience, having everybody cheer for everybody and just seeing that we're all doing this together," Emmons said. "This is a Boston bucket list for me, so I'm glad I finished. And now I need to ice up."
Russom made his debut in the Boston Marathon as he fundraises for the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Pediatric Cancer Center. He is sponsoring a 9-year-old boy named Kelani, who is recovering from lymphoma.
Kelani and Russom spend time together every other week and enjoy playing Legos and talk about reading.
Russom’s motivation to run in the marathon this year is fueled by his drive to want to help others.
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"Most of the time there is nothing we can do to directly help people. This is my way of doing that," he said.
Although Marathon Monday began with wet weather, Russom said powered through the rain, felt the pain and kept pushing until making it to the finish line.
"That was, by far, the hardest thing I've ever done," Russom said. "It was a fantastic experience."
