I have never run a marathon before, but this year I need to.     

Last year’s Boston Marathon marked my sons’ introduction to terrorism, lock-downs, and the fact that senseless violence could be — in fact, had just been — directed at kids their own age. My wife and I struggled to explain what had happened, and a few days later found ourselves struggling again – this time trying to tell them about the killing of a police officer at MIT. The violence had landed inside their world – Dad’s workplace was no longer safe. We chose our words carefully and explained what we could, while managing our own reactions.     

On the night after Officer Collier’s memorial service at MIT, I told the boys about what I’d seen that day — law enforcement from all over the world coming together as part of a tradition to honor one of their own. This is how they show their respect, I said, and it’s how they remind themselves of what they have in common. It is how they try to heal.     

Running the Boston Marathon with MIT Strong gives me a chance to do the same. I want to honor Sean Collier’s sacrifice for our community, and I want to honor the magic of everyday life in our classrooms, laboratories, dorms, and offices. MIT is a huge place, with a spirit to match. I am honored to carry a small part of that with me during the race, and in doing so show the world — and my sons — that tragedies are things you recover from, that when you stand together as a team you are strong, and that MIT is a place that honors itself and the sacrifices that are made on its behalf.     

A few days ago I asked my 10-year-old what he remembers about last year’s marathon. “The bombing,” he said, without pausing or raising his head from his homework. “What if I run it this year?” I followed up. "Will that change how you think about it?” He thought for a second, looked up, and said, “Yes. I’ll remember the bombing, and the fact that you ran it the next year.”     

That’s enough for me.     

Please support my teammates and me, by pledging whatever you can to help support my run and the cause I am running for.