Orchard Cove caps fundraiser with visit from marathon legend Bill Rodgers
By Guest
Bill Rodgers meets with Orchard Cove ‘marathoners.’ (Photo courtesy of Hebrew SeniorLife)
By Brad Cole
None other than Boston’s own four-time marathon winner Bill Rodgers joined Orchard Cove residents to celebrate the completion of their recent personal marathons for the senior living community’s Miles for Scholarship event.
Hosted by the resident-run Orchard Cove Scholarship Committee, the fifth annual fundraiser benefited Orchard Cove employees by helping defray some of their tuition expenses at a variety of colleges and universities.
“This year, 118 people participated and we raised almost $6,000, which was more than the $4,600 we raised last year, which was more than we had raised the year before,” said Scholarship Committee member Abby Brown, thanking the community for their efforts in supporting Orchard Cove’s staff.
The residents’ races began on Marathon Monday, when all were challenged to recreate the 26.2-mile race from Hopkinton to Boylston Street at their own pace. All forms of exercise counted toward this goal, whether they chose to walk along the paved paths around Orchard Cove’s campus, join water aerobics in the swimming pool, dance with others in a Zumba Gold class, or use one of the many strength and cardio machines in the fitness center.
“I like what you’re doing, the fundraising,” Rodgers told the members of the Scholarship Committee. “It’s one of the major changes in the sport of marathoning. Road racing, these days, is a huge fundraising sport.”
Rodgers noted that the t-shirt he was wearing was from the recent Newington Library 5K Challenge, an annual fundraiser that supports the Lucy Robbins Welles Library in his hometown of Newington, Connecticut. Charitable running is a major part of the Boston Marathon as well, with this year’s runners raising more than $50 million for various charitable causes.
Rodgers also talked about the history of the Boston Marathon, its origins following the 1896 Summer Olympics, how the marathon has changed over the years, and how he got involved in running. A former record holder, Rodgers won his first Boston Marathon in 1975 and went on to win three in a row from 1978 to 1980. He also won the New York City Marathon four times in a row between 1976 and 1979.
While he ran three years of track in high school under the tutelage of coach Frank O’Rourke, Rodgers said he had never thought of becoming a marathoner. “I don’t think most people do,” he said. “It just sort of happens to you.”
Some of the changes he discussed in the sport include the rise of female runners, starting with Bobbi Gibb and Kathrine Switzer, the addition of a prize purse in the 1980s, and the evolution of running shoes.
“Running is a fantastic sport,” Rodgers said, “and with our sport, the door is open to everybody. I love that.”
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