David

One of the things I really enjoy about the Bionic5k race is that people stick around till the very last minute to cheer on ALL the athletes. It's almost like everybody's aware of how hard people are working even though they're not all as fast as the guys who are flying across the line in the beginning. Everybody's putting in equal amounts of effort to get across that line. It's not just about racing but the camaraderie of people being in love with the same sport. 

I started running back in high school, but running has always been a part of my life.  It’s the underlying thing that really excited me about participating in sports.  My high school track coach, Joe LeMar, is an amputee and a gold medalist in the Paralympics. He actually ran the Bionic5k last year. But he has been a big mentor and role model in my life for a long time.

I grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts. It's not a city with the greatest reputation, but there are a lot of really great people that come out of there.  I found safety with my coach and growth through running because it allowed me to stay out of trouble after school and get scholarships to colleges. I ended up at UMass Amherst at a division one school and I didn't go into high school thinking about that.

I've run a total of nine marathons in the last five years. This year I'm running the Boston marathon for the second time. But I don't just limit myself to marathon training. I do half-marathons, 5Ks and 10K's as well.  I got married in September, 2018 to my lovely wife Michelle. She's a big support system in my life when it comes to running. I think that that was one of the things that made me go, “Oh, I should marry this girl!”

Running makes up about half of my life. It's an important time for me to process my day to day. It's my sanctuary in a lot of ways. I don't think every person or partner can understand that unless you are yourself a runner. I owe a lot of my problem solving to running. Racing is great, but I also really enjoy the training, just putting my sneakers on and going for a long run.  Some people feel guilty about missing a run and I totally understand that feeling because it's just like my daily coffee. 

When I’m not running, I really enjoy eating. Running has a wonderful way of making you very hungry. But don’t ask me for nutrition advice because I eat everything. Some of the things I love to eat?  Candy and Buffalo wings. Though I probably run a lot slower after eating them.

I work as a corporate paralegal. I'm also trying to start a company that brings the running community together in a new way. Right now, there are a lot of people running but there's no team accountability piece.  I'm hoping that the business will help close that gap.  Currently people who set personal goals for running are limited to chasing just those personal goals.  I think that when you introduce team accountability, everyone really runs to their potential.

Over the past few years I've started coaching athletes. It’s a change of scenery because I'm not looking at it as just a runner anymore. Instead I'm concerned about how other people are running. That's been a lot of fun and I'm really proud of that.   I host a weekly track workout for a running club called the Dashing Whippets out of Boston. I organize and create the training plan and people follow it and they improve and they race.  It's really nice to celebrate their personal running accolades. 

What motto would I put on a tee shirt? “Live. Why wait.” I've been able to accomplish a lot of things only because I just act. You can mull over a bunch of decisions and things to consider, but it's not until you have options that you really are doing something. And I like to create as many options as possible.

- David, Bionic5K athlete