When Isabella came to her dad and told him she wanted to run a marathon this year, and she wanted to do it for Special Olympics Massachusetts, Jamie was all in. He already knew a thing or two about going the Xtra Mile.

‍
In 2013, Jamie Zito was 25 miles into his third Boston Marathon when he heard that a bomb had gone off at the finish line. In that moment, he thought his life was over. All he could do was run like his life depended on it, because it did. His wife, Natasha and and two daughters, Isabella and Ava were at the finish line, and he had no way to reach them.

He ran 28 miles that day.

‍
After finding out they were safe, but shaken up, 12 years later, Isabella is looking to be Brave in the Attempt. She is ready to confront the place where, as a 9-year-old girl, she experienced the worst day of her life.

‍
Isabella is an intern with the Boston Bruins and works alongside Special Olympics Athlete, John Dunleavy. Jamie also knows John from working for Delaware North, a parent company of the Boston Bruins. Isabella’s passion for Special Olympics has brought Jamie out of marathon retirement and the father-daughter duo are looking to move forward from this traumatic experience by crossing the finish line together this year.