On April 16, Peter Lorinser will be running his third Boston Marathon for a very special cause: finding cures for cancer. On Patriots Day, which is better known to many us as Marathon Monday, Peter is running the 2018 Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) team.

To raise awareness and to raise money to aid the fight against cancer, 29-year-old Somerville resident, Peter, is running as a member of the DFMC team. Your support of his run will help fund essential cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His goal is to raise $10,000 in 2018, helping him reach over $30,000 raised since 2014.

100% of the funds raised goes to the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Cancer Research at Dana-Farber. A donation helps foster scientific breakthroughs by advancing the work of gifted researchers in a variety of basic research disciplines helping them to discover better treatments to enhance patients’ quality of life and hopefully a cure from someone’s cancer.

Peter was first inspired to run for Dana Farber in 2014 when he was working as a Teacher in Dorchester, MA. One student had a life changing impact on Peter. This student successfully put cancer (Leukemia) into remission and now, 4 years later, he is a thriving Sophomore in college. Back in 2014, when Peter told his students that he was thinking of running the Boston Marathon but was having second doubts about doing so because of the level of commitment, this student left Peter this note on his desk after class:

Who is your hero?

• “Mr. Lorinser”

What character traits make him heroic?

• “Ability to overcome challenges”

What actions (obstacles, challenges, etc..) make him a hero?

• “He is going to run a marathon for charity”

Do you think other people will view him as a hero, too?

• “Yes”

This note inspired Peter to go forward with the Marathon, and he has not looked back since. Rather, he has stayed dedicated to the cause because of the ubiquity of cancer. Because he knows so many friends and family affected by cancer. And, through his running experience, he has also surrounded himself with a community of people that have been cared for by Dana Farber.