Fall 2026
By Sofi Elbadawi
Photography by Matt Teuten
On Monday, April 20, more than 500 runners completed the 130th Boston Marathon® as part of the 2026 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) team. It was a record-breaking year for the team, which collectively raised over $10 million for the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research, which funds groundbreaking ideas at their earliest stages, propelling researchers toward discovery and innovation.
In addition to crossing $10 million in team fundraising, the DFMC team achieved several milestones this year: the team surpassed $150 million in lifetime program fundraising, the Legere family reached $3 million in lifetime fundraising, runners Tom Ahearn and Jonathan Roche completed their 30th DFMCs, and Matt Bergin completed his 35th DFMC – a program first.
Before becoming a dedicated 30-year DFMC team member, Jonathan Roche’s history with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute started when his mother was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and given only six months to live. “With Dana-Farber’s help, my mom lived two more years before passing away four months prior to her 50th birthday,” Jonathan said.
“I was 12 when she passed away, but I remember her praising the staff at Dana-Farber. I knew I would support them throughout my life, and when I learned about running the Boston Marathon with the DFMC team, I was all in,” he recalled.
Running a marathon is a major physical and mental test, but it’s easy compared to the battle that cancer warriors go through every day.
Jonathan Roche, 30-time DFMC team member
For Jonathan, hitting 30 DFMCs is part of a bigger goal: 75 marathons with the DFMC team. Race 75 will occur when Jonathan is “98 years young!” When asked how he stays motivated, Jonathan answered: “Running a marathon is a major physical and mental test, but it’s easy compared to the battle that cancer warriors go through every day. When I think about everyone being treated at Dana-Farber, it’s easy to sign up to run year after year.”
That deep sense of purpose also shapes the way Jonathan approaches fundraising and race day each year; “When your ‘why’ is strong enough, you can do anything you set your mind to. While fundraising each year, I offer to run in support or in memory of cancer warriors, and I add all their initials to my shirt. This year, I had 665 initials on the back of my shirt and as I thought about their stories, it carried me,” he said.
Running 75 marathons is no small undertaking, but Jonathan remains determined to make an impact with every race; “Each year, I think about everyone at Dana-Farber who is battling this horrible disease. I say to myself, ‘There is a Mom up there today just like my Mom. She has kids and they need her and she deserves to be here for many more years.’”
Thanks to runners like Jonathan, the DFMC team is making strides to defy cancer. As Jonathan said, “Together, we are making a difference!”