NATIONAL, LOCAL CELEBRITIES PARTICIPATE IN VIRTUAL RUN ACROSS AMERICA
WICKED LOCAL MEDFORD
DMSE Sports recently announced the formation of two celebrity teams who are participating in the Medford2Medford Run Across America.
Two teams of national and local celebrities have been virtually following in Dave McGillivray’s footsteps along the course he ran during his 1978 cross-America run from Medford, Oregon, to Medford, Massachusetts.
Registration for Medford2Medford is still open at medford2medford.com and will remain open through the ceremonial end of the event on Aug. 29.
A few years ago, Dave McGillivray brought back the “Celebrity Mile” from running events in the Greater Boston area after a 32-year absence, and this year’s virtual edition is a twist on that theme.
“Although we’re unable to enjoy the ‘Celebrity Mile’ in person because of the pandemic, it’s been fun to bring together athletes from across the country, whether they’re marathon champions or TV personalities,” said McGillivray, president of DMSE Sports and the inspiration for the M2M. “I’m thrilled to see the interest and enthusiasm displayed by so many of our celebrity participants and it has been inspiring to follow them as they accumulate their miles and add to the overall team totals. I am so grateful they’ve joined us on this virtual adventure. Maybe someday we will rent a motorhome and run the real thing together!”
Medford2Medford is a virtual team running event that strives to bring fellow runners together while they’re apart, and to help raise some much-needed funds for charities. The M2M is modeled after Dave McGillivray’s 1978 run from Medford, OR, to Medford, MA. Over the course of 80 days, McGillivray ran 3,452 miles and raised more than $100,000 for the Jimmy Fund, a Boston-based charity that supports the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The event welcomes walkers, runners, and cyclists to team up to complete one of three distances.
The celebrity team entrants are as follows:
Meb Keflezighi, 2014 Boston Marathon champion; 4-Time Olympian
Sean Astin, actor
Sunita Williams, American astronaut
Joan Benoit Samuelson, Olympic Gold medalist; two-time Boston Marathon champion
Pete Kostelnick, Cross America Run recorder holder
Lisa Bentley, 11-time Ironman champion
Dave Scott, six-time champion Ironman Triathlon World Championship
Mark Allen, six-time champion Ironman Triathlon World Championship
Bill Rodgers, four-time winner of the Boston Marathon and NYC Marathon
Lisa Hughes, WBZ Ch. 4 award-winning news anchor
Deena Kastor, 2004 Olympics Bronze Medal Women’s Marathon
Michael Wardian, World Marathon Challenge champion; Ultra-Marathoner
Tom Caron, sportscaster New England Sports Network
Jack Fultz, 1976 Boston Marathon winner
Rod Dixon, 1983 NYC Marathon champion; 1972 Olympic Bronze
Greg Meyer, 1983 Boston Marathon champion
Jamie Staton, sports anchor/director at Channel 9, Manchester New Hampshire
Dave McGillivray, Boston Marathon Race director
Leo Manzano, 2012 Olympic Silver medalist 1,500 metres
Tom O’Keefe, voice behind Boston Tweet
Amby Burfoot, 1968 Boston Marathon winner; Runner’s World Writer
Kathryn Switzer, 1967 first official female entrant in Boston Marathon
Mary Wittenberg, former race director NYC Marathon and president of NYRR
Alice Cook, Olympic figure skater
Ruben Sança, 2012 Olympian (Cape Verde) — 5,000 metres
Karen Smyers, Ironman Triathlon World champion
Steve Cooper, Ch. 7 news reporter
Becca Pizzi, World Marathon Challenge champion
John Young, Elite Little Person Paratriathlete/Marathoner
Dick Hoyt, father of Father-and-Son-Team Hoyt
Max Lane, Former New England Patriots offensive lineman
Bobby Carpenter, former NHL All-Star Hockey Player
Bart Yasso, former chief running officer of Runner’s World Magazine
David Samson, host of “Nothing Personal;” MLB analyst of CBS Sports HQ; former president of Miami Marlins (2002-17)
Dan Clark, Massachusetts State Trooper; The Singing Trooper
Scott Brown, U.S. ambassador to New Zealand; former U.S. senator
For information, visit dmsesports.com.