Beverly, MA, Man Runs a Solo Marathon to Honor His Brother

Training for a marathon is a grueling, time consuming process. It is a true test of physical and mental fortitude. I don't speak from experience! I have so much admiration for marathon runners. They devote so much time and energy towards achieving a single goal. Well, Sandy Frieberg from Beverly, Massachusetts was looking forward to that triumphant feeling of crossing the finishing line! He was supposed to run the New York City Marathon but Covid threw a wrench in that. Imagine?! A special event being ruined by the pandemic! (That's sarcasm)

According to WMUR, Sandy decided to take matters into his own hands and run the marathon as a solo act. His motivation? His brother Evan! Evan was a radiologist helping cancer patients and now he has been battling cancer for the past five years. Sandy told WMUR that he had never run a marathon before but his brother runs a marathon everyday, metaphorically speaking.

Sandy is running to raise money for Fred's Team which is an organization founded by legendary runner Fred Lebow. Fred founded the NYC marathon, and lost his life to brain cancer at 62.

The inspiration is a two-way street. Sandy is inspired by Evan to fight through the pain of running a marathon. Conversely, Evan is inspired by Sandy. Evan told the newsite that the next time he goes through chemotherapy he will be thinking of his brother who ran 26 miles for him.