Welcome to our Boston Children’s Museum Marathon Team Runner Spotlight Series! This is an opportunity for you to get to know our incredible Boston Marathon runners and their journey to the 120th Boston Marathon. We will post a story each week about one of our runners, and we encourage you to spread the word about our team’s perseverance to hit their goals, both in miles and in dollars. If you wish to support any of our runners, visit our Crowdrise page today! We are so honored to have these individuals represent Boston Children’s Museum on Marathon Monday, and we applaud their efforts to bring critical funds to the Museum.
Garrett Lau is a senior at Boston College, who always watched the Boston Marathon on campus at mile 21 but wished he could participate as a runner. Now in his last year as a college student in Boston, he has a chance!
This is Garret’s first marathon, and he is so excited to participate in one of the most historic marathons in the world. When we asked Garrett why he wanted to run this year, he replied “as a senior graduating from BC in about two months, there really is no better time than the present to undertake this…..it has been on my bucket list of things to do before I graduate from BC.” When charity organizations announced their bibs, Garrett knew he wanted to run for an organization that advocated for Boston’s youth.
Garrett has been able to do more than just train for our marathon team. He has become part of Boston Children’s Museum’s family. During a busy weekend in February, Garrett had the opportunity to volunteer at the Museum, and found the experience joyful, inspiring, and incredibly rewarding.
“I loved seeing how the Museum engages with the kids with hands-on activities. When I was there on Dental Health Awareness Day, my favorite memory was helping out with an “egg-citing” experiment to demonstrate the importance of proper tooth brushing and the effects that different substances, like soda and juice, can have on teeth. It felt both fun and approachable at the same time.”
Currently, Garrett is training through his longest miles before race day, and he is extremely thankful that this winter has been mild. He’s taken advantage of the Charles River and the Esplanade’s running paths, and most of his runs involve a long loop from BC to Harvard to the Museum of Science and back. He explains, “It’s a very scenic route to take on a Sunday morning.”
As a first-time marathoner, we asked Garrett what he thinks will be the first thought that enters his mind when he crosses the finish line. His reply? “Can I please get something to eat?”
Since the average marathon runner burns somewhere between 2,400-2,800 calories during the race, we agree with you, Garrett!
Garrett is currently studying Global Studies & Economics at BC and has a job in New York City starting this July. We are thrilled to have Garrett represent us in this race and are happy to help him achieve this milestone before he heads to the Big Apple.
To learn more about Garrett’s experience as a Boston Children’s Museum Marathon runner, you can check out his Crowdrise page here: https://www.crowdrise.com/BCMBoston2016/fundraiser/garrettlau418
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