Mastronardi Runs Boston in Memory of his Dad

Michael Mastronardi, the son of late John Mastronardi ran the 118th Boston Marathon in memory of his father. The Patriot’s Day race marked Michael’s first-ever marathon and he crossed the finish line on Boylston Street in an official and impressive time of 4:40.07. Mastronardi both trained and fundraised throughout the winter for the grueling 26.2 mile trek. Generous donations to Michael’s run surpassed $4,000.00 and will allow the John Mastronardi Memorial Fund to award two scholarships this June.

The John Mastronardi Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1994, and the committee began awarding scholarships in 1995. Because John was such an avid long distance runner and had run the Boston Marathon many times, the Scholarship Fund has been utilizing the marathon as one of its major annual fundraisers for nearly 20 years. Since losing his Dad at the age of five, Michael spent the following 19 years watching the fund’s runners make the final turn from Hereford onto Boylston Street on Marathon Monday. “I have always enjoyed going to the marathon and supporting our runners. I knew at a pretty early age that I wanted to someday run it,” commented the now 25-year old. This April 21st, with hundreds of his own sponsors and supporters and an official charity number, Michael was the one who made that final turn.

“Running in memory of my Dad was an awesome feeling. I had a ton of support from friends and family, many of whom could remember back to when it was my Dad that everyone was going to see cross the finish line. Dad definitely left some big shoes to fill. I don’t think I came close to any of his times, but I was extremely happy just to be able to be out there and finish on such a historic day.”

Michael’s training for Boston 2014 was a struggle, as he faced the adversity of a historically cold New England winter. “When I began my training in January and February, my good friend, Gena Ricciardi, would run with me on my longer weekend runs. Having someone to talk to and keep me motivated definitely helped to make those my most enjoyable runs. Unfortunately, my work schedule got in the way of our partner runs as the distances got to be more time consuming. Those runs were definitely the best while they lasted!”

Although Michael had never run a full marathon, he had run a couple of prior half-marathons, including the Cape Cod Half-Marathon and the Gloucester Holiday Merry-Thon back in December. Michael planned to run Boston in 2013, but his aspirations were put on hold due to his U.S. Coast Guard orders. His training this winter included several long runs, including a 20-miler just three weeks out from race day, which he stated was the most difficult one of them all. “I rolled my ankle about 14 miles into that run, and had a tough 6 miles back to the house. Definitely not the way I planned to wrap up my training before the big race.”

All I all, Michael felt as though he was well conditioned for this year’s race. His late-training ankle injury caused him some hesitancy on Patriot’s Day, as he felt he was not “going into the race at 100%.” However, his competitive nature and dedication prevailed. “I knew I could finish. Luckily the ankle held up remarkably well, and most of the race was an enjoyable run.”

Michael had supporters on the sidelines from Hopkinton to Boston and he ran into numerous familiar faces throughout the day. “I was really lucky to have friends and family all along the race course. Some highlights of the day were running with my cousin Kyle in Wellesley,” where he joined in and ran with Michael in his business suit, “seeing the Walsh’s at BC,” where he stopped for a quick photo opp and was motivated with some Advil and Gatorade, “and coming down Beacon into Kenmore Square, where it seemed like I was seeing the familiar faces of friends and family every couple of hundred yards! Having my mother and so many other family members, as well as my father’s good friends, Dick Vitale and Gary Fox, waiting for me when I crossed the finish line was another awesome feeling. A big thanks to everyone who made it out and braved the crowds and heat that day. Marathon Monday is a long day for everyone!”

Support for Michael’s achievement even continued post-race, as friends and family members gathered at the Kowloon in his hometown of Saugus to help him replenish any of the salts and fluids he may have lost earlier in the day. “It was also nice getting texts from all of my less fortunate friends and family members who were stuck at work, but tracked my progress and continued to give me encouragement along the way.”

Michael was both exhausted and elated post-race. “The feeling of having 26.2 miles behind me was incredible…a huge sense of relief. I was really excited about the accomplishment and not letting myself or anyone else down. The ensuing days turned out to be almost as painful as the race itself, but certainly well worth it!”

When asked about his thoughts on a repeat performance in the future, Michael wouldn’t count it out, but is fine with passing the baton to someone else for 2015. “I would consider doing Boston again. It is such a unique marathon and an incredible atmosphere. I don’t know that I’d want to run 26 miles in any other environment. Having so many friends and family along the way really made it an awesome experience. However even with all the support, training for a race like that is a massive commitment, so I’m looking forward to giving someone else the chance to tackle it next year!”

Congratulations to Michael on a tremendous achievement!

Your Dad is very proud!