Ben King and Hubert Park hope that even more money will come in as people fulfill their pledges. Community Covenant Church (CCC) in Hopkinton awarded the entry numbers to the men, who agreed to raise money for the congregation’s camp fund. They conducted an email campaign to raise support.
Neither of the men had run a full marathon, although Park had run two half-marathons. King says they “hit the wall” around mile 21, which is common for marathoners.
Both men fought through the exhaustion and finished the April 16 race in less than four hours. “A lot of friends from Highrock were there to cheer us on,” King says. “That really helped.”
Although some 20,000 people run in the marathon, entering the event is difficult because of the large number of individuals eager to secure a place. In addition to the $150 entrance fee, the applicant also must have run a qualifying time at a previously certified marathon. Because CCC already had the numbers, King and his friend didn’t have to qualify or pay the fee.
Marathon organizers gave the church two entry numbers to compensate the congregation for lost revenue when the city requested it no longer rent parking spaces for the race. That money was used for the scholarships.
The money raised by Park and King will benefit children from Community Covenant and Highrock, located in Arlington, Massachusetts. Camp Squanto is part of Pilgrim Pines Conference Center in Swanzey, New Hampshire, which is operated by the East Coast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Despite successfully completing the race, the men are unsure whether they will put themselves through the ordeal again. King graduates Harvard Medical School in May. Park, a graduate of the University of Michigan, hopes to enter dental school.
