Photo: Rev. Michael Alello/Facebook By Kim Constantinesco Nerves ride high in the minutes, hours, and even weeks leading up to running a marathon. Have I trained enough? Did I get enough sleep? How will my lower back hold up 22 miles in? Those are just some of the swirling questions that pick up pace as race [...]
Hector Picard showing us how he swims What a year 2015 was for us, but most importantly, for the athletes that we've featured. We're honored to bring you this list of our top 15 stories for the year based on pageviews. Thank you, athletes, and thank you, readers. You make Purpose2Play spin, and we wish you the [...]
Photo courtesy of Alexi Pappas By Kim Constantinesco Alexi Pappas, 25, seems to thrive in every world she enters, even the ones she creates herself. The filmmaker, writer, actress, and Olympic hopeful from Eugene, Oregon is proof that in order to tell a good story, you have to live an engaging one yourself. Pappas has her second [...]
Photo courtesy of Vaughn Ripley We asked some of the athletes that we've featured here on P2P to 1. Divulge their Thanksgiving traditions, and to 2. Reflect back on what they're most grateful for this year. Without further ado: Vaughn Ripley Vaughn Ripley Uses Fitness to Survive Hemophilia, HIV, and Hepatitis C Holiday Traditions: Thanksgiving has always been [...]
Photo courtesy of Jason Wolfe By Kim Constantinesco As the Boston Marathon race director since the 1980s, Dave McGillivray has put a powerful microscope on motivation. Each year, after his race duties are over and while the 30,000 runners who crossed the finish line celebrate their victories, McGillivray laces up his shoes and runs the historic Boston course [...]
(Photo: Lotatoa - Our Warrior/Facebook) It was a fun-filled April with our top stories ranging from some incredible runners to Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari making one of the best recruitment decisions of his career. Also back in the mix was our exclusive with Jordan Spieth's mom, Chris. Everyone wanted to know how to raise a sports prodigy, [...]
Photo: Dave & Sheri Hawkes By Kim Constantinesco A warrior isn't so much defined by his strength, but by the size of the focus within. Within Lotatoa "Lota" Ward, 8, resides a deep and passionate focus for distance running. Also inside of him resides an ornery brain tumor. Lota set off in the dark with his ultra [...]
Beth Sanden celebrates the completion of her journey. Photo courtesy of Beth Sanden By Josh Jacques When Beth Sanden, 60, traveled to Antarctica in February, she used her 43-pound handcycle to complete a marathon. More importantly, she finished her 13-year journey to accomplish the unthinkable -- to become the first athlete with a disability to finish a full [...]
Rebekah, Pete, and Noah on their wedding day. Photo: Rebekah Gregory DiMartino's New Day New Hope By Kim Constantinesco Sometimes, after a traumatic event, moving on means not just stepping away, but running forward. That's the case for Rebekah Gregory, 27, who was one of 264 injured in the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings that also killed three. [...]
Photo by Roderick Aichinger By Alison Ryan For most people in America, seeing their neighbor step outside to go for a run could be considered commonplace; that is, unless your neighbor rocks a turban and beard like Simran Jeet Singh. Simran, a Sikh American doctoral student at Columbia University, proudly wears his turban and beard in observation [...]