Sports

Dedham Woman Runs to Help Kids With Serious Medical Conditions

Dawn Corrado is running her first Boston Marathon this year, raising money for Hole in the Wall camps.

 

As a Hub-area native, Dawn Corrado grew up watching marathon runners take on Boston each April, and now she'll have her shot to race down the 26.2-mile stretch of Rte. 135.

"This is my first Boston. Boston is the one I've always wanted to do," Corrado said in a phone interview.

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With a goal of raising $4,000 for Hole in the Wall camps, the 41-year-old Dedham resident will hold a fund-raising event at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the in Norwood.

Through Thursday morning, Corrado had raised more than $1,900.

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Hole in the Wall camps give kids with serious medical conditions an opportunity to enjoy summer camp for free.

"They get a week to forget about their illnesses and their sickness and just feel like a regular kid. They play, have fun and be with kids like them," Corrado said.

She raised money for Team Hole in the Wall when she ran the New York Marathon in two years ago.

The non-profit organization gives 100 percent of donations to the camps, Corrado said.

"It's a really great cause," she said. "It's an opportunity for me to give back."

Corrado began training for the marathon in December, and has slowly increased her mileage ever since. She said she used an online program to track her progress and runs about four to five times each week.

Like most marathoners on Patriots' Day, Heartbreak Hill poses the biggest challenge between mile 20 and 21.

"I am a little bit nervous about that stretch," she said. "Right around 23 [of the New York Marthon] I hit that wall. Mile 23 is really tough."


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