Many athletes will cross the finish line Monday at the Boston Marathon, and among those will be athletes supported by one San Diego-based nonprofit.
The San Diego-based Challenged Athletes Foundation has supported five athletes running in the Patriot’s Day race by underwriting their travel and entry fees for the race, said executive director Virginia Tinley.
“Finishing the BM would be a huge accomplishment for any one of us,” said Tinley. “That’s one of our messages here at Challenged Athletes Foundation, is just because you have a physical challenge doesn’t mean you’re any different. So for them to complete that and get to that finish line, is just as rewarding and exhilarating as for you and I.”
Three other participants are running to raise money specifically for CAF and more than $10,000 has been raised so far.
The nonprofit raised more than $80,000 for Boston-based challenged athletes last year. This year, prior to the marathon, the nonprofit gave out 34 grants to the athletes, ranging from prosthetic limbs to sports chairs.
Three Boston Marathon Bombing survivors have also received support from the foundation in the form of mentorship, running clinics and grants for adaptive equipment.
Celeste Corcoran, Heather Abbott and Roseann Sdoia have received running legs through the nonprofit, though they will not be running the marathon just yet.
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“It’s difficult to run a marathon as an amputee and it takes time…If they can run 2k, it’s an achievement,” said Tinley.
On Friday, the organization held a grant reception in coordination with Nike, honoring Roseann Sdoia and Anna Conn.
