06 Apr 2010 1 Comment

Boston Marathon Spotlight: Dave Granito for the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation

As the trainer for the three-time Super Bowl champion team the New England Patriots, Dave Granito has been around one of the greatest teams of all time, and is familiar with competition and hard work.

In fact, competition is what Dave thrives on.  Not only is he competing by running, he is also aiming to be the top fundraiser for the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation marathon team. And just for good measure, this will not only be his first Boston Marathon, but his first official running race as well. Any one of these goals alone would be a challenge, but when you train Tom Brady, you can probably to run 26.2 miles right out of the gate, right? We got a few of Dave’s thoughts about the marathon:

How is training for the Boston Marathon different than training a 3 time super bowl champion team?

It doesn’t compare – it is totally different. It is the polar opposite of what I am used to doing and helping others train to do. Training for a marathon entails hours of training with long slow distances- much of it by yourself. There is a mental component involved that is not in football and although I am a part of a charity team program - it’s still very individual. I have watched the race in years past and seeing the support and the enthusiasm of the community around this it  is inspiring and to be able to run for a really good cause seemed like the perfect opportunity for me.

Why are you running for The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation and Write On Scholarship program?

I have always been a firm believer in education I was extremely fortunate to have parents that gave me the gift of education.  Without that there would be a lot of closed doors along the way. To be able to help other children that may not be as fortunate, open some of those doors and give them some of the same chances as I had is a great thing for me to be able to contribute to.

Since you are a trainer for the super bowl champs, what is your best marathon training tip?

The biggest thing is to have a plan, have faith in that plan and listen to what your body is telling you over that time: It is a marathon, not a sprint.

What is your best fundraising tip?

People are kind at heart and they want to support whatever charity you are running for so you need them the opportunity to do so.  Do something as simple as a get together, host a party and ask for donations through your FirstGiving page as an RSVP, just give them a excuse to get together for a good cause

What has been the most difficult thing so far?

I really think the hardest part for me is the time commitment, it’s hard to run and it’s hard to fundraise.  It is almost a full time job.  For me it was important to make sure I have the time to commit myself to the training so I would do well on race day, but also commit to the charity, which really is every bit as important as April 19th

What’s on your iPod?

This might sound a little bizarre but I’m pretty mellow with my iPod when I run.  I like John Mayer, Jack Johnson, and Ben Harper.  I’ll mix a little U2 and Coldplay in it as well.

And last question, how fast does Tom Brady run a mile, and if he ran the Boston Marathon, could you beat him?

You know I’m not sure how fast he does run a mile, I’m not even sure of the last time I have heard of him running a mile.  He is an incredible athlete; I don’t know if I could beat him.

Team Coordinator Susan Hurley says, “Dave Granito has been a shining example of a charity runner. Of all the runners I have worked with this year, I would say that Dave has been, without a doubt, the most focused and the most selfless; making certain the entire team becomes a team. He encourages and leads like no other runner yet he respects training for the marathon and understands it as a very personal and individual competition.”

Kudos Dave!  We’ve made a donation to your page to encourage you to toward your goals.

To read more or make a donation to support Dave, too, visit his FirstGiving page.

by admin in Spotlights Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,