Yesterday, the ALKrew hit the ground running at the Hopkinton starting line as two members of the ALKrew ran 26.2 miles at the Boston Marathon. In total, the runners each had a goal of raising $15,000 for Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP). This was ALKU’s third time participating in the Boston Marathon. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Boston Marathon and the first in-person race not held in April.
Sabrina Arguello and Michael Bachilas represented ALKU and Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP). For the participants, this was their first time running 26.2 miles to the Boylston Street finish line. Both ALKU runners have been positively affected by and involved in mentoring, which made saying yes to participating in the Marathon a no-brainer. In preparation for the Marathon, Michael and Sabrina have run over 372 miles during their training.
“It has always been a goal of mine to run a marathon, but it has been a dream to be able to run in the Boston Marathon. When I heard I could run in the Boston Marathon with ALKU for MMP, I was at a loss for words. As a Big Sister myself, mentorship means a great deal to me, so being able to run while also benefiting a cause I care about would be an absolute dream come true! I am running in the Boston Marathon to fulfill a lifelong dream and for my passion of mentoring,” - Sabrina Arguello, Payroll Administrator
Leading up to race day, the ALKU runners felt support from one another and ALKU. The runners had regular check-in meetings and received weekly fundraising templates. As well as fundraising support on social media and in the internal company Slack channel. ALKU also hosted a raffle with free hotel stays, fall gift baskets, and gift cards as prizes to help raise money towards their $30,000 fundraising goal.
"I'm thrilled to be running this year's Boston Marathon in honor of all the mentors in my life and to support Mass Mentoring Partnership’s meaningful impact on young people across Massachusetts!"- Michael Bachilas, Staff Accountant
On race day, the ALKU runners laced up their Asics and hit the ground running. Our runners held the same stride and stayed together through the 26.2 miles! The ALKrew watched our runners achieve this accomplishment from the sidelines! For the ALKrew members who worked in the office, they watched our runners on TV, the B.A.A. Mobile App, and followed along with the live updates posted in the internal company Slack channel. Sabrina and Michael both finished the marathon in five hours, fourteen minutes, and twenty-three seconds!
Personal achievements and company connection aside, our runners turned out to run twenty-six miles with a shared motivation in mind; to support MMP. MMP supports mentoring relationships through their work with over 370 mentoring and youth serving organizations across Massachusetts. These programs serve over 50,000 young people each year from Boston to Pittsfield, MA. Most of these young people come from low-income families with a single parent household and will be the first in their family to go to college. Young people now more than ever need the support of MMP, and the ALKrew was thrilled to be able to support through the Boston Marathon. Please consider helping Sabrina and Michael reach their goal of $30,000 this fall for MMP! Check out ALKU’s fundraising page here: https://bit.ly/3Ax3dME and learn more about MMP here: https://bit.ly/3g9QGaR
Congratulations to Michael, Sabrina, and everyone who participated in this year’s Boston Marathon! Cheers to 26.2 miles!