“We always pull it in for our cheer, ‘26.2 together’. Whatever we do, we start with that,” said Dreamfar marathon club advisor Ayanna Kilpatrick.
Since arriving at the high school, the club has helped students motivate themselves not only to run a marathon, but also to work harder in school.
According to Kilpatrick, a typical practice starts off with a head count of about 80 students, coming from Brookline, Charlestown High School, Newton North, Newton South, Sharon High School and the Urban Science Academy. After announcements are made regarding upcoming events, the club goes out on its run, convening a few hours later to stretch and recap its run.
The Dreamfar marathon club meets Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at various local locations to train.
“It is very exciting, tiring and a lot of hours,” said Kilpatrick. “It is a lot of coordination to make sure everyone is here, safe and everyone is running at the ability and getting what they want out of it. I’ve met a lot of new kids who I would’ve never met before, and it’s just wonderful.”
According to the program’s website, Jamie Chaloff, a special education aide at Newton South, started the club in 2008 to attract students who otherwise “fell through the cracks” and use running as a way to motivate them.
Senior Jeffrey Poindexter is a co-captain of the team who has benefitted from the program.
“It has really helped keep me focused. If I can run a marathon, I feel like I can do anything,” said Poindexter. “I can do any homework, college essays. It gives me a lot of confidence to do work.”
Kilpatrick has grown attached to her runners.
“It’s pretty inspiring. I was definitely crying when I saw Jeffrey cross the finish line last year,” said Kilpatrick. “It was just so inspiring to watch and see him finish 26.2 miles. It has given me some much more personal inspiration in life.”
Math teacher Bruce Mallory said he feels that helping advise the program has helped his own running as well.
“My goal is to also run a marathon, and it’s a hard thing to do all on your own. So as a group, I’m helping them run a marathon, but they are also helping me,” said Mallory. “Most of my day, I am sort of the boss and the students are my employees, and the relationship I have with students is teacher-student.With Dreamfar, I get to be myself. I’m not getting kids in trouble; I’m helping them. I like that.”
While the goal for runners who join the program is to complete a marathon, Kilpatrick said one does not have to be a runner to join. The team has the resources for anyone to join, and anyone participating will learn all the fundamentals of running a marathon in a supportive atmosphere.
“The group feel of it gives such a nice feeling that you’re never alone,” said Kilpatrick. “You are going at your own pace, but there is always someone there watching you. It’s just a really safe, nice, group community feel.”
Kilpatrick shared a story that stuck with her from last year.
“Our co-captain this year, Mark Torres, joined the club last year, and I don’t think he had ever run before in his life,” said Kilpatrick. “In the beginning, he really did not like it or enjoy running at all. I’ve never seen a kid persevere so much, and he was determined to finish it, and no matter how much he didn’t like it, he did it. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. He just didn’t quit.”
For Poindexter, running for the Dreamfar marathon club is much more than training for a rigorous marathon.
“As a captain, I love being a leader and sharing my knowledge and experience from last year with some of the new people,” said Poindexter. “It doesn’t always mean that I always have to be the fastest, but I love being there for the other runners.”
Joon Lee can be contacted at [email protected].
