Police Capt.
Tom Dunn
Police Capt. Tom Dunn has never run a Marathon before, but he said he could think of no better reason to start than to help raise money for kids with cancer.
On April 21, Dunn, 49, will attempt to run the 118th Boston Marathon. Captain Thomas Dunn, a member of the Boston Police Runners Club, will be running the 2014 Boston Marathon to support a local charity known as Cops for Kids with Cancer.
“This will be my first Marathon,” he told the Record on Wednesday. “I’ve run several 5K races in my lifetime and a few 10K races and this will be extending the distance a bit. I’ve trained for it, but I guess we’ll find out on Monday how well. I don’t want to sound overconfident, but I’m going to give it my all and be thinking of helping the kids the whole way.”
The Cops For for Kids with Cancer Organization has been an extremely instrumental organization in the fight against cancer in the New England area, raising more than $1 million for the families of those affected. The 2014 goal is to raise $100,000 for the charity so that it can continue to work with families dealing with the challenges faced when a child has been diagnosed with cancer.
The Chelsea Police has a longstanding relationship with the charity and has raised money several times for the organization in the past.
Police Chief Brian Kyes said in a statement that he fully supports Dunn’s efforts.
“I would like to express my sincerest appreciation on behalf of the members of the Chelsea Police Department for raising money for such a worthwhile charitable organization such as Cops for Kids with Cancer,” he wrote. “This group has been to Chelsea three times over the last few years to award the families of these young kids who have been diagnosed with this serious illness with checks of $5,000 each to help defray medical costs, purchase necessary medication or just take the child on a vacation to Disneyland to keep their minds off of their daily battle.”
Dunn said he has been training for the race over the last 16 weeks via a recognized Marathon training program. He said he’s ready to run.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do and I think it’s something that anyone can do if they put their mind to it – barring injury of course,” he said.
For anyone wishing to donate to the charity, the Boston Police Runners Club has asked that the donor leave a note so that the runner may thank his and her supporters.