Franklin Lakes Man Running 250 Miles to Boston Marathon

On your mark. Get set. Go.

A 59-year-old Franklin Lakes man says that taking off from this year’s Boston Marathon will be even more meaningful than it has before. And, to showcase that, he’s taking off for the race a bit early.

Larry Grogin is a seasoned racerunner who has participated in marathons across the world. For the past two years, he has run the Boston Marathon in order to raise money for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, an organization that caters to children suffering from serious illnesses.

In light of the attack at the Boston Marathon last year, Grogin has decided to run to the race in order to raise money for the charity. He kicked off his journey from the Franklin Lakes municipal building Sunday morning, and will run about 32 miles everyday until he reaches the Boston Marathon. Altogether, the trip is about 250 miles.

“I’ve been in a lot of races, and I truly think that the Boston Marathon is the best one in the world,” Grogin told Patch before he left NJ.

“The whole city is a part of it, and you see and feel the people’s passion for this race. There is a real sense of patriotism there. After we had that pulled out from under us last year, I knew immediately I wanted to go back, and that I wanted to do it in a big way for a good cause.”

Last year, he was turning the corner to the finish line of the Boston Marathon when the bomb exploded.

“Of course I was scared, and I’ll admit that I am a little nervous going into this year’s race,” he said.

“But this race has always been a celebration of America’s greatness, and I think it’s going to be even better than it’s ever been before.”

Grogin, a chiropractor who has participated in 28 Ironmans, will make stops at hospitals along his journey, and will be greeted by Camp Hole in the Wall kids when he arrives.

“I’m running to the race because I wanted to do something zany that would bring attention to the Camp and the cause,” Grogin said.

“But, an unexpected bonus of this whole thing has been that it’s inspired people to help in some way, to do something like this in their own lives. That’s been really touching.

Grogin will be accepting donations throughout his trip to the Marathon. So far, he has raised over $25,000. Get more information on donating here.