Sarah Russell and Bill McLaughlin represented the John Mastronardi Memorial Scholarship Fund, running the Boston Marathon on April 18th, 2011. Both were rookie marathoners and achieved their ultimate goal, completing the 26.2 mile course. The duo trained through the winter months and fundraised for the Mastronardi Scholarship, before the Patriot’s Day challenge, the 115th Boston Marathon.
Russell (25), who is John Mastronardi’s niece, is a 2009 graduate of Boston University and a four-year standout on the Terriers Women’s Ice Hockey Team. Russell and her longtime friend, McLaughlin (24), made the decision to run Boston in the Fall of 2010. Russell resides in Everett, Massachusetts, while McLaughlin lives in Norwood, Pennsylvania. Thus, the two trained for the race separately, but were side-by-side for much of the grueling trek.
- McLaughlin and Russell
Russell and McLaughlin were among the 26,907 total runners who made the 26.2 mile journey from Hopkinton to Boston, with 98.2% of the field reaching their goal, the finish line on Boylston Street. Russell completed the course in a Boston Athletic Association official time of 4:58.05, while McLaughlin came in at 5:05.18.
Russell and McLaughlin more than exceeded their fundraising goals. The two combined to raise over $5,000.00 for the 2011 Mastronardi Scholarship, inspiring the Fund’s committee members to up the scholarship award this past June. In addition, because of Sarah and Bill’s incredible fundraising efforts, the John Mastronardi Memorial Fund was able to present TWO Revere High School graduates with scholarships this year.
The John Mastronardi Memorial Scholarship Committee thanks Sarah and Bill for all of their amazing efforts in “Running for John.”