Laura Ellerbeck's 2010 Boston Marathon Fundraising Page

Plus $ 187 raised offline.

Those of you who have known me for years probably couldn't imagine that I would run one Marathon, let alone pursue marathoning as a past time. I didn't even really think I could do it. It's one thing to sign up for a race and say that you're going to run and an entirely different thing to actually DO IT. I signed up to run the Boston Athletic Associations Half Marathon in 2008. Since then I have logged hundreds of hours on the streets of Boston and the pathways along the Esplanade while training for other races, including the Hyannis Half Marathon and the Chicago Marathon. Most people run their first marathon, cross the finish line, have a beer and swear they will never run a marathon again. After I crossed the finish line in Chicago, I took the most awkward finishers photo ever, had a beer, searched for my lost roommate, ate a Subway sub, hobbled back to my apartment in Boston, and promptly got myself on a fundraising team with the Esplanade Association. The Boston Marathon is one of the most prestigious distances races in the world and not only will I get to be a part of the race, but I also get to support an area of the city that means so much to me. After leaving New Hampshire I realized how much I missed the mountains and the lakes. The Esplanade has given that back to me, though in a very different sense. In a world of glass and steel, it's the nearest I get to that feeling of home. I've spent many hours on the river docks watching the sun reflect off the water and more then a few nights picnicking in the grass. And, most importantly, without the Esplanade I may have never made it through all my many miles of training. Not only have the esplanade routes provided beautiful protected places to run, but in the middle of summer there's nothing better then knowing a water fountain is just ahead. Without that little water bubbler I would have been running into the CambridgeSide Galleria mall on a regular basis for hydration (once was enough for me). The Esplanade Association is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to restoring and enhancing one of the most popular urban parks in America. On an average year the park sees nearly three million visitors -- whether it's for boating on the Charles River, playing Frisbee on a sunny afternoon or camping out all day on the lawn for the Fourth of July fireworks display. Given all of this foot traffic, The Esplanade Association does a great job ensuring that the park is a great area to visit, but they certainly can use your help not just to maintain the space, but to improve it. Over the past few years The Esplanade Association has renovated the docks along the river, built a new playground, initiated free community programs, donated kayaks to Boston's Community Boating program, piloted a Teen Leadership program, and brought in more than 2000 volunteers for maintenance and beautification projects, including planting nearly 10,000 perennial flower bulbs.

Many thanks to those who have already made donations:

Diane Talbott, Betsy Henthorne, Molly Clark, Anthony Fischer, Tobias Kahan, Mark Ferriero, Steven Bartek, Catherine Ketchum, Dylan Smith, Patricia Mitchell, Melanie LoBue, Marisa Murphy, Nancy Smith, Lesley Hayes, Andrew Burke, Linda Reed, Catherine Sarkis, Joseph Calabrese, Ashish Patel, Ruth & Rick Puleo, Jesse Buerhaus, Brandon Thompson, Nadine Hyacinthe, Martha Clement, Melanie Steeves, Scott Meyer, Elizabeth Shehadi & Dave Bouchard, Ashley & Elton James, Sara Allen, Kerry Dove, Nick Miner, Erin Boylan, Kate Barret, David Rini, Danielle Cerny, Harleigh Billian, Ashleigh Loadholt, Alycia Dagenais, Lauren Barret, Stephanie Edwards, Julie & Grant Ellerbeck, William Farrell, Alexandria Diskin, Erin Mindell, Martin Greenberg, Christine Lee, Sarah Knight, Adrienne Allaire, Diane Dougherty, Adam Hetland, Anita Jhamb, Gregory Stoute, Kathleen Anderson, Carole & Burrell Talbott, Amy Gorton, Jessica Yu, Vin Puleo, Emily Medina, Sandra Delcolle, Stephen & Faith Miller, Carole Loughran, Stephen Polins, Kiirsten Finn, Michael Duchemin, Wade Munday, Carrie Garinger, Linda Talbott, Sophia Lalani, Terry & Barry Hersh, Eliza Evans & Hammond Brown, Mary Lou & Jamie John, Pam McCoy, Amy Nelson Paula Friedman, Janine Page, Geoff Pickering, Matt Varley, Trip Barnes, Eugenia Yang, Carla Meyers, Kristen Lascoe, Marisia Ketchum, Sara Ellerbeck, Ben Wellington, Nancy Adams, Erika Kullberg & May Stewart