DAVE MCGILLIVRAY TO RUN MARATHONS IN 7 CONTINENTS, IN 7 DAYS
METROWEST DAILY NEWS
During the Boston Marathon, Dave McGillivray is a mainstay at the start line.
As race long-time director, he sees the winners through the finish and then returns to Hopkinton to run the 26.2 miles himself.
He ran across the country in 1978 to raise money for the Jimmy Fund and has run 147 marathons, including the Boston Marathon for the past 45 consecutive years; the last 30 at night, all helping to raise millions for charity.
This week, he’ll take on a new challenge – to run “7 Marathons on 7 Continents in 7 Days” as part of the World Marathon Challenge. He’ll join about 50 other runners.
“All the emotions are flowing - excitement, nervous, anxious, fear of the unknown, anticipation,” McGillivray wrote in a post on Facebook. “But I then think about how fortunate I am to even be in a position to attempt this and to be on this journey.”
McGillivray, 60, is running as part of a team of 16 people committed to raising $2 million for 11 charities: Marlins Foundation, Camp Interlaken JCC, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Jewish Federation of Broward County, Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, The ALS Association, Challenged Athletes Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of America, Martin Richard Foundation, Conine Clubhouse and Stand Up to Cancer.
His World Marathon goal? To be patient and maintain strength to complete each race.
“Given my age and the number of miles on my body, this will certainly be a major challenge for me,” the North Andover resident wrote. “I respect the distance and I am certainly not underestimating what it is going to take to complete this.”
The course: The marathons will take place at Novo (Antarctica), Cape Town (South Africa), Perth (Australia), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Lisbon (Portugal), Cartagena (Colombia) and Miami.
Time in the air: Competitors spend about 52.5 hours in the air from the start point in Antarctica to the finish in North America, according to the organizer.
Total miles running: 183
Type of plane: After the Antarctica segment, competitors will fly on an Airbus 340 VIP charter plane with seats that recline into beds, among other amenities.