On April 20, the Joe Andruzzi Foundation (JAF) proudly celebrated the 23 members of Team JAF who trained and fundraised to help New England cancer patients! For those who took to the iconic 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Boston, it was a picture-perfect day with beautiful weather — ideal conditions for our amazing athletes to take on one of the most prestigious races in the world.
This year marked JAF’s 14th year participating as an official Boston Marathon Charity Team, and our 2026 team has raised the bar! With the hard work of all of our athletes, their supporters, and our friends at Boston T-Party, this year’s marathon campaign has raised over $361,000 raised, and the momentum is still going
Before race day, JAF hosted its traditional Team Pasta Dinner at Davio’s in Boston to celebrate and fuel our runners. We honored them with special awards: Highest Fundraisers, John Ponte and Jen Andruzzi; Unsung Hero, Austin McGowan; Team Spirit, Jill Evers; and JAF Ambassador, Shelagh Fluharty. We were inspired by the words of encouragement from Max McGillvary of CharityTeams and Patient Recipient Cathy. Their messages of strength, resilience, and perseverance set the perfect tone for Marathon Monday.
At mile 17.5 along the course, JAF’s cheering station was absolutely electric, rocking alongside our CharityTeams partners. It became a vibrant gathering spot for runners and spectators alike, offering a much-needed boost of energy and encouragement.
Thanks to the generous support of Honey Dew, La Colombe Coffee Workshop, Poland Spring, and Bill’s Pizza, our cheerleaders and family supporters stayed fueled and ready to bring the hype. Meanwhile, DJ Julio Sanabia from 617 Weddings kept the music going strong, creating an upbeat atmosphere as runners pushed forward toward the legendary Heartbreak Hill.
Family and friends showed up in full force—homemade signs, cowbells, matching t-shirts, and an overwhelming amount of love.
Team JAF’s marathon success is a powerful reminder of what can happen when a community rallies together with heart, grit, and a shared purpose. Find a full gallery of pictures from race day HERE
Special thanks to the following:
- 2026 Bank of America Boston Marathon® Official Charity Program for once again inviting JAF into your program
- Boston Mayor Wu, the Garafalo family, the Frontino family, and Poland Spring for generously helping JAF expand our 2026 team.
- New Balance for outfitting our runners
- Patient Inspiration, Cathy, for sharing your story with our team.
- The Boston ‘T’ Party group, which raised $8,000 in honor of a dear friend “T” in support of the JAF Boston Marathon Team
- Our partners at CharityTeams have been training and supporting our athletes for the last 20+ weeks, and through race day.
Congratulations to our incredible runners — you inspire us all!
We would like to take a moment to recognize each of them again below — THANK YOU for your dedication, determination, and heart.
Shaina Abbott
Jen Andruzzi
Samuel Brewer
Will Diezemann
Jillian Evers
Shelagh Fluharty
Kara Frazer
Cameron Goodrich
Mikki Hayes
Angelita Jim
Ryan “Coach” Kalan
Lawrence Kim
Tammy Lake
Chris Lake
Albert Lulushi
Nicole McAllister
Austin McGowan
Melissa Meech
John Ponte
David Santoro
Allison Taylor
Debra Thomas
Sean Tomany
