~ Summary - The Runners - "Why am I running?" - Benefits - Special Events - Matching Contributions ~
The Run for Stoneham Theatre
Victory!
On Monday, April 19th, the runners of Team Stoneham Theatre successfully -- and in some cases, gracefully -- finished the 114th Boston Marathon. For those of you betting on who would "win," here are our runners' times:
Weylin Symes 3:53:08
Landers Symes 3:53:08
Mike Elmer 4:07:14
Lee Griffiths 4:13:27
Matt Chapuran 4:17:34
Congratulations to our athletes, and enormous thank-yous to all our donors and supporters.
>>> The Globe NorthWest featured Team Stoneham Theatre!
At 10:55AM on April 19th Landers, Lee, Matt, Mike and Weylin will begin the run they have spent the winter and early spring training for. By 3:00PM they will all be past the finish line with the certain knowledge that they have all achieved a personal goal and supported two very worthy causes along the way.
You can join them in the run and support Stoneham Theatre and the American Heart Association in the process. Each runner has pledged to raise a minimum of $5,000 by April 19th. The bulk of the money will support the mission of Stoneham Theatre with a portion directed to the American Heart Association. Help them reach their goals.
Read their blogs, decide who to support, then click a runner's DONATE NOW button.
>>> Stoneham Sun Article on the Marathon
The Runners
Weylin Symes |
Matt Chapuran |
Landers Symes |
Mike Elmer |
Lee Griffiths |
^Sponsor Weylin^ |
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Why am I running?
Weylin Symes
Why does anyone try to run a Marathon? Stupidity, ego, naivete? For me, it's all of those but also a way to help deal with the terrible loss of my twin brother and best friend last year. Over the past year I discovered I have some of the same health concerns that he did (not surprising since we're identical twins). Because of my brother and my own health problems, I was very afraid of exercise for the six months after his death. Running the Boston Marathon is a way (albeit a rather extreme one) for me to face my fears over my own health and to prove to myself that I can continue to live a full and active life. And, as much as I'm not sure I understand the idea of running a race in memory of someone, I think that is part of it as well. Sometimes just doing something (even running a race) feels good when faced with something as final and incomprehensible as the loss of someone so close. And the fact that I get to share this experience with my older brother makes it even more special. Also doing this for two causes I believe in, Stoneham Theatre and the American Heart Association just adds an extra layer. So, somehow this race is for Gavin. Here's hoping my achilles tendons hold up!
Landers Symes
Weylin and I had a tough 2009. As many of you know we lost our brother Gavin, suddenly in April. Weylin and I also found out we have some heart concerns ourselves but nothing that should prevent us from doing anything we wish. As we looked for a way to deal with our grief and our own health issues we decided that training for and running a marathon together was a challenge that would help us along. As we started discussing it Mike and Lee both mentioned that they were interested in running but would really like to do Boston. The opportunity to apply for numbers through the John Hancock Charity program presented itself and we knew we had a plan. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for Weylin and I to reach our goal and support a couple of worthwhile causes: Stoneham Theatre, Gavin was on the Board of the Theatre and really believed in kids programs, and the American Heart Association. So along with Matt, Mike and Lee we will be out running in the winter cold to meet our goal and raise money for worthy causes.
Matt Chapuran
The short answer is that I was asked to. I started running about five years ago, when I moved to Jamaica Plain. My street is the finish line for the Doyle's Five Mile Race, which ends at a bar that distributes free beer. I couldn't pass that up. Once you get into the habit of running, it tends to dominate your time. Last summer, I started running around the Fellsway and recruited Weylin to be my running partner. Since then, the idea of running a marathon has grown in my head as one of those things that I really should do at some point. So once asked, I couldn't say no.
Mike Elmer
My Top 10 Reasons for Running a Marathon:
10. Forced meditation
9. While training I can eat like Kobayashi every day
8. Running 30 - 40 miles every week makes me sleep like the dead
7. Bragging to coworkers about 'sore nipples'
6. I get to wear a killer training shirt designed by my nephew, Aiden
5. 'Runner's High' won't cause me to fail a drug screen
4. Health -- not counting the daily risk of strain, torn, pulled or broken body parts
3. Opportunity to embarrass Lee, Matt, Weylin & Lanny
2. I've never been to Boston on Patriots Day
1. To prove to myself that I Can
Lee Griffiths
Call me nuts but I have always wanted to run a marathon. Watching the Boston marathon on TV over the past 12 years I have been struck by the excitement that the city has for the event and by a lot of the stories that I've heard from people I knew running it. I promised myself I would one day qualify properly and join them but as with most things outside family, friends and work I always had a good reason not to do it. This changed early last year when Mike Elmer and I decided that turning 40 should be the catalyst for "getting involved." Now that it has become a reality there are no more excuses and I can't wait until April.
Benefits
Copley Square ($2,500)
- 8 tickets to Runners Carbo-Loading dinner and performance of Marathon on April 14th
- Post Race Dinner with the five runners hosted by the Chair of the Stoneham Theatre Board of Directors
- Plus all the benefits of the lower levels
Coolidge Corner ($1,000)
- 6 tickets to Runners Carbo-Loading dinner and performance of Marathon on April 14th
- Your name on runners' shirts and in selected media
- Plus all the benefits of the lower levels
Heartbreak Hill ($500)
- 4 tickets to Runners Carbo-Loading dinner and performance of Marathon on April 14th
- One month free membership to LA Fitness in Stoneham
- Plus all the benefits of the lower levels
Wellesley College ($250)
- 2 tickets to Runners Carbo-Loading dinner and performance of Marathon on April 14th
- Plus all the benefits of the lower levels
Natick Common ($100)
- Commemorative Run for Stoneham Theatre t-shirt
- Plus the benefit of the lower level
Hopkinton ($20 - 50)
- Your name in playbill for one year
Special Events
Special Performance of Marathon &
Carbo-Loading Dinner with the Runners
Wednesday, April 14th
Dinner at 6:00 pm
Performance at 7:30 pm
$45 Premium Seating / $40 Standard Seating
Dinner sponsored by:
Georgie D's Restaurant & Piano Lounge
>>> Click here to purchase tickets to the Carbo-Loading Event.
List of Companies that Match their Employees' Contributions
The following is a partial list of companies that will match contributions that you make to Stoneham Theatre. If you work for one of these companies, or another that has a matching gifts program, your contribution will have double the impact, both raising the value of your gift and your benefit level. To find out more, contact Jon White-Spunner at 781-279-7885 x100 or jon@stonehamtheatre.org.
American Express
Analog Devices
AT&T
Avici Systems
Babson Capital Management LLC
Bank of America
Boeing Company
Boston Edison
Chase Manhattan
Cisco Systems
Compaq
Computer Associates International, Inc.
Creo Americas, Inc.
David L. Babson & Company
Deluxe Corporation Foundation
Eastern Bank
Eaton Vance Management
Federated Department Stores
Fidelity
Fiduciary American Companies
General Electric
Gillette Company
GlaxoSmithKline
Hewlett Packard
Houghton Mifflin Company
IBM
Intuit, Inc.
John Hancock Financial Services
Lucent Technologies
McGraw-Hill Companies
Mellon Bank Corporation
Microsoft
Millipore
National Grid
New York Times Company Foundation
NSTAR
Pfizer Foundation
Pitney Bowes, Inc.
Polaroid
Reebok Human Rights Foundation
Sprint Foundation
Stride Rite
Sun Life Financial
Sun Microsystems
Tektronix
Textron Charitable Trust
Thomson Financial
Tyco Electronics
UBS
Unilever United States
United Ways of New England
UPS
Verizon
Wellington Management Company LLP
If you'd prefer to make your contribution by mail, please send your donation to:
Marathon Campaign, Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main St. Stoneham, MA 02180