The 7th Annual Martin Richard Memorial One Mile Invitational took place on Thursday, August 19 at Boston’s Moakley Field. More than 150 runners of all ages and abilities participated. This special event celebrates the life of Martin Richard who participated YES Track & Field Program along with his siblings. Martin started his running career with YES in 2009 at age 5. In his early days, Martin chased his brother, Henry, and the older athletes, many of whom he would eventually catch up to and pass. Fairness, inclusion, and teamwork were always important values to Martin. This annual event is a special time for our community to come together to celebrate Martin’s zest for life as a competitor, teammate, and vibrant young boy.
Races this year included 400 meter races for ages 4-8 as well as a 400 meter Adaptive Race for all ages, 1 mile races for youth, high school students, adults, and wheelchair racers, and a Non-Competitive 1 Mile Walk/Run/Roll for anyone!
This event marks our first in person event since January 2020. The Martin Richard Mile was postponed last year due to COVID-19, but YES was excited to be able to host it again this year. Due to COVID, we took extra precautions in order to ensure safety and health for all of our runners and volunteers. Individuals were encouraged to wear masks when they were unable to social distance, and spectators were asked to enjoy the meet from the stands. Runners were escorted and guided in an orderly fashion to avoid overcrowding. A huge thank you to all of our volunteers who helped make this event safe and enjoyable!
A huge thank you to our event sponsors and partners for this year including the Martin Richard Charitable Foundation, Adage Capital Management, Adaptive Sports New England, New Balance Foundation, and USA Track and Field-New England.
The 7th Annual Martin Richard Memorial One Mile raised over$2,000 for YES. Thank you to all of our supporters who attended the event!