September 17, 2006
7,000 walk to raise funds for cancer research & care in the 18th Annual Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk, Sept. 17
Members of Team Shannon cross the finish line.
There were sunny skies and sunny spirits as 7,000 people took part in the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk on Sunday, Sept. 17, with one mission in mind — a world without cancer. The walkers are on their way to raising $5 million for that mission through supporting cancer research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Walkers have until November to collect and send in all of their pledges.
The streets from Hopkinton to Boston were filled with people walking in honor, or in memory, of loved ones affected by cancer and to try to change the odds for those with the disease. Approximately 2000 walkers began the day in Hopkinton and walked the entire Boston Marathon route. Most participants opted for the half-marathon, which started in Wellesley while many patients and their families walked the final three miles from the Boston start.
The Ovations for a Cure team gathers at the finish line.
The Walk is presented by Hyundai Motor America and is Boston’s "Hometown Walk" — the event supports the Jimmy Fund, a local charity with international consequence, and it’s held on Boston’s renowned Boston Marathon course. It is the only event other than the Boston Marathon itself that is sanctioned by the Boston Athletic Association to use the historic 26.2-mile route.
In the past 17 years, walkers and their financial supporters have contributed more than $40 million to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Walk, funding innovative cancer research and care that is helping to develop better treatments for cancer patients around the world.
For more information or to contribute, visit: www.jimmyfundwalk.org.
