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In photos: Penny Ruhm (left) and Barb Richmond-Moran in 1988 after having finished biking across the country as part of the TransAmerica Bicycle Trek; and Jonah Ruhm after a training run. Photos provided.
GREENFIELD – Jonah Ruhm says he is “super excited” to be running in the 2018 Boston Marathon as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC).
The popular race in Massachusetts, which draws thousands of runners from around the world, is scheduled for Patriot’s Day on Monday, April 16.
For Ruhm, recent memories are as big as the event itself. They include a close encounter with the 2013 Boston Marathon terrorist attack.
While he is at the tail end of an effort to raise $10,000 in support of the fight against cancer, Ruhm is also picking up where his parents, Penny and Mike, left off.
Several times, Penny Ruhm had participated in the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge in memory of her friend Barb Richmond-Moran. The women were best friends since childhood and enjoyed many adventures together.
Jonah Ruhm says that Richmond-Moran was the “fun aunt” to both him and his brother. She played sports, took them kayaking and bought them extra-large ice cream cones (against their mom's will, of course).
Ruhm says one of the things the two women had always dreamed of doing together was to run a marathon. Sadly, Richmond-Moran lost her battle to breast cancer after many years of treatment at Dana-Farber and they never had the chance to fulfill that dream.
Richmond-Moran’s family and friends then came together to participate in the DFMC as the “Boston for Bullet” team (she was reportedly “fast as a bullet”).
Ruhm’s parents joined that team and ran five successive Boston Marathons as part of the DFMC program, raising nearly $70,000 for cancer research.
In April 2013, the Ruhms again headed to Boston to meet Richmond-Moran’s family and friends to enjoy the festivities surrounding marathon weekend.
While the weekend kicked-off as a celebration and remembrance of many lives that have been touched by cancer, the tune quickly changed.
Jonah Ruhm and his brother were in the grandstands right across from where the first bomb detonated, and their family witnessed the events of that harrowing day from a hotel room.
Fortunately, the Ruhms escaped physically unscathed, but Jonah says the memories of that day will remain forever.
While only one in 45,000 Americans will experience an act of terrorism, one in seven will be diagnosed with cancer, according to Ruhm. He says, “the terrors of cancer can last a lifetime.”
Nearly everyone Ruhm knows has been affected by cancer in one way or another. Many of his friends and family members have lived with or lost their lives to cancer. He never met his paternal grandmother, who died of breast cancer; his grandfather lost his battle with cancer in December.
Due to advances in detection and treatment, their two daughters—Ruhm’s aunts—are cancer survivors today.
Although terrorism may never end, Ruhm believes a cure for cancer is around the corner. That is why he wants to run for Dana-Farber. That, and to honor Richmond-Moran’s memory and keep the legacy of “Boston for Bullet” moving forward—one step at a time.
On April 16, Ruhm will join hundreds of Dana-Farber runners and take to the streets to participate in the 122nd Boston Marathon.
The DFMC team runs and raises funds with thousands of special people in mind. From Hopkinton to Boston, they will carry thoughts of those people every step of the way.
Ruhm set a personal fundraising goal of $10,000 by race day, and asks those interested to donate either by check or online. Checks can be made payable to “Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge” and sent to 67 King Road, Middle Grove, NY 12850. His fundraising page can be found on Facebook or at http://www.runDFMC.org/2018/jonahruhm.
