Ben Wood is a native of the North Shore region of Massachusetts and still resides in that area In his free time he enjoys playing basketball, boxing or walking trails in his town for relaxation. He has friends who have run the marathon before and has attended in past years with friends and running the marathon is actually on his bucket list. He says it's not too crazy, but it's an accomplishment no one can take from him.

‍Special Olympics is a family matter for Ben as his grandfather spent over 30 years of his life working with the organization."It always meant so much to my entire family," he said. "One of his family members was an athlete so almost every Tuesday for 30 years he coached track to the athletes. I knew I had to contribute back to this organization like other members of my family have before, so I saw this as a great opportunity to begin a volunteer/fundraising relationship with Special Olympics."

Ben grew up playing sports and likes the way Special Olympics Massachusetts makes sports possible for so many.

"Growing up sports meant so much to me so knowing that the Special Olympics give every child and adult the opportunity to experience the thrill of sports is something truly special," he said.

He tried running in years past, but was never fully committed. Last year he made the goal to himself that he would put an emphasis on running and in 2018 completed the Boston Athletic Association 10k and half marathon. After being a spectator for years, he told himself that it was time to at least take a chance at running the Boston Marathon. Watching the excitement of the runners and the energy that the event has made him want to be a part of it.

He has been using cross training to get ready for the marathon, mixing up boxing and kick boxing with running. In the warm weather he enjoys the rail trail in his town which is a great place to run on dirt and cement. When he doesn't want to run, he thinks of the incredible feeling after a workout or run and that feeling pushes him to go for it.

Ben is looking forward to running the race. He knows that even when things get tough, he can look forward to seeing his grandmother, mother, fiance and other friend and family cheering him on at the finish line!