VIDEO: 44 YEARS AGO TODAY: MEDFORD MAN COMPLETES 3,452-MILE, 80-DAY CROSS-COUNTRY RUN AT FENWAY PARK
Forty-four years ago, fans at Fenway Park stood and cheered in wild applause. There wasn’t a walk-off hit or a no-hitter.
There was a man. Steadily running around foul territory.
On August 29, 1978, Dave McGillivray dashed into Fenway Park after running 3,452 miles over the previous 80 days. The Red Sox ballpark was the last stop on a cross-country trek that saw the man run from Medford, Oregon, to Malden, Massachusetts.
McGillivray’s trek, averaging 40-50 miles per day, helped raise $150,000 for the Jimmy Fund, a cancer research foundation the Sox partner with.
The Malden, Mass. native spent the rest of the night rubbing shoulders with Sox stars like Carl Yastrzemski and Bill “Spaceman” Lee before hopping on a private jet for national tv obligations.
McGillivray, now the race director for the Boston Marathon, has completed 165 marathons and established several charity events in the Boston area.