McGillivray to be honored for 30th anniversary of his cross country run
Posted Thursday, 31 July, 2008
Boston, Mass. – On August 14th Dave McGillivray will be recognized for his historic solo cross-country run from Medford, Oregon to Medford, Massachusetts which benefited the Jimmy Fund. In 1978, the year of his run, McGillivray was among a select group of people who had accomplished such an extraordinary goal…it was the beginning of a 30-year relationship of combining fundraising and athletic events to benefit those in need. The Jimmy Fund will help celebrate this milestone as part of their WEEI/ NESN Radio-Telethon, by honoring McGillivray at the Red Sox pre-game ceremony that evening.
At age 23, McGillivray, now BAA Boston Marathon Race Director and President of DMSE Sports (dmsesports.com), Inc., began his cross country run in Medford Oregon and finished his final leg of his ‘78 run, just one week after his 24th birthday at Fenway Park. McGillivray ran several laps around the warning track in front of the sold out 32,000 crowd. He will commemorate the occasion by also running a lap inside Fenway on August 14th and be met at home plate by family and friends. During the day, prior to the on-field ceremony, McGillivray will spend the day celebrating another milestone, his 54th birthday during which he will run 54 miles. It’s an annual tradition which he has done every year since his 12th birthday on which he ran those first 12 miles.
“To be honored by the Jimmy Fund means a great deal to me,” says McGillivray. “The Jimmy Fund, and the late Ken Coleman, gave me a chance to accomplish something that even I didn’t know was possible until I actually took those final steps inside Fenway Park. To run across the country was my dream, and to couple that with raising awareness and money that might save the life of a child was a tremendous responsibility which I did not take lightly.”
A partial list of some of McGillivray’s Jimmy Fund related accomplishments in the past 30 years include:
1978: Run Across America (3,452 miles)
1980: Run up East Coast (1,520 miles)
1981: New England Run (1,522 miles)
1982: Martha’s Vineyard Swim (7 miles)
1983: 24-hour Swim (26.2 miles)
1986: 24-hour bike ride (385 miles)
McGillivray’s inspirational story The Last Pick, co-authored by Linda Glass Fechter, intimately recounts the mental and physical obstacles McGillivray faced along life’s road which led him to his 1978 run. His story has inspired countless people to reach their own goals. All proceeds to directly to his foundation.
To learn more about the anniversary of this 3,452 mile run across the country and how you can donate to Dave’s 30th anniversary fundraising effort on behalf of the Jimmy Fund, please visit www.dmseports.com.
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