Meet your Marathon Runners: Dennis Burke

This year we had the honor of receiving two Boston Marathon bibs through John Hancock’s Non-Profit Program. For the past 30 years, John Hancock’s sponsorship of the Boston Marathon has helped hundreds of non-profit organizations raise money for their missions (38.4 million in 2014 to be exact). We’ve chosen two dedicated runners that are big supporters of the Greenway: Jeanne Goswami and Dennis Burke. They’re committed to not only running those 26.2 miles come April 20th, but also raising $5,000 to help support our mission. We’re thrilled for you to meet our team! Here’s Dennis’ story:

Dennis, tell the world a little about yourself!

I live in Revere, MA and am an only (spoiled) child. I enjoy politics, golfing, skiing, running, and watching sports-Boston teams of course. And of all things food-related, I would have to say pizza is my favorite food because it’s something that I never tire of.

 How long have you been a runner? Have you ever run a marathon before?

I have been a runner since 2005 and have run in 2 Boston marathons previously as a bandit runner (2008 and 2009).

What is your training regimen? What keeps you motivated, especially during your long runs?

I run throughout the week with my long runs coming on the weekend. The goal is to make each week’s long run progressively longer until around the 21-24 mile mark depending on injuries and weather. Though I have a pretty good sense of how long I run from experience, I never set a mile limit or goal because there are times when my body just isn’t into it and other times when I’m feeling great and decide that I can run farther. I don’t profess to be an expert but that has worked for me in the past. I run with music or with the radio on and like to run in places that I have never been so that my run becomes somewhat of a sightseeing tour. Even if I throw in subtle changes to routes, there’s always something that I haven’t seen before that catches my eye.

What made you decide to run for the Greenway?

The Greenway is quite a worthy cause because of the welcome change that it has given the Boston waterfront and a welcome change from the raised highways. It provides an oasis for those working in the adjacent areas of Boston and a model of sustainable landscaping that needs to be replicated exponentially. It didn’t hurt that my good friend, Mike Nichols, recently joined the Greenway team and mentioned that the Greenway had 2 bibs for the marathon.

What is your favorite memory of the Greenway?

I don’t have one particular memory that sticks out and certainly can’t compete with my running partner’s story. I very much enjoy the Greenway during the Summer. I enjoy walking the length of it to see the fully blossomed landscape, the people lined up at the food trucks, and the children running through the water fountains. I also enjoy picking out a spot to read during the warm sunny days.

Any messages for other aspiring runners, or to those who have supported you thus far?

Running has always been a nice outlet for me. I began taking up running to help lose weight and found myself enjoying it because running is what you make of it. I enjoy running at my own pace to the music I enjoy. I don’t have to care about anything including how long I run though it’s nice to google map by run afterwards. As far as advice I would give to those looking to run a marathon: Just keep improving. At some point, 5 miles will be easy, and then 10 miles will be easy, and so on.

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Thanks so much to Dennis for rising to this challenge! We’re excited to cheer him on throughout the whole training process and on race day. If you want to support Dennis and the Greenway, visit his funding page to make a donation (currently he’s at 61% of his goal!). You can also contact Kelly Frattaroli, our Development Assistant, by phone or email with any questions or to make a donation: [email protected], 617-603-7739.

And if you’re already registered to run on Marathon Monday, but are interested in supporting the Greenway, you can still join our team! We ask for a $750 minimum fundraising goal. You can direct any questions about this opportunity to Kelly.

Run On, Boston! And stay tuned for more updates from our Marathon Team!