Morristown Native to Run in 3,300-Mile Relay for Boston Tragedy

A 3300 mile non-stop running relay from Los Angeles to Boston will be passing through Summit on June 29 in the early morning hours. 

The event, One Run For Boston, is being organized thousands of miles away by a trio of running enthusiasts from the UK who wanted to show their support for Boston following the tragic events of April 15. 
One Run For Boston starts from Venice Beach, LA, at 10 a.m. on Friday and is scheduled to reach Boston just over three weeks later at 8 p.m. on Sunday June, 30.

Kelly Polisin, a former high school & college Track & Field athlete, from Morristown, will join the hundreds of runners who will keep the relay going non-stop around the clock through 14 different states and four time zones. Runners will pass a specially designed baton between them and supporters will be able to follow their progress online thanks to a GPS tracking device fitted to the baton which will update its location every 15 minutes.

Polisin signed up to run stage number 289 from Green Village to Springfield, a distance of roughly nine miles.

“I am excited to take part in this epic event for Boston,” said Polisin. “I want to show my support for all those affected by the Boston Tragedy and show NJ solidarity with the Boston community. I encourage others to join me, donate or fill empty stages to support the One Fund.”

The relay will travel through the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and finally, Massachusetts. The 3300-mile route has been divided into 319 separate stages. Most of the stages are around 10 miles with a few as long as 26 miles and some group stages in the big cities just five miles. Runners can sign up to run a stage via the One Run For Boston Website (www.onerunforboston.org).

The three friends from England who are organizing the relay are Kate Treleaven, Danny Bent and Jamie Hay.

“When the news from Boston reached us on April 15, we were completely stunned” said Danny Bent. “It took a little while to digest what had happened, but we each reacted in exactly the same way - we just knew we had to do something.”

The trio are no strangers to organizing epic fundraising events. Past efforts include a 9000-mile bike ride from London to India and an 8000-mile non-stop running relay around the British Isles, which took eight weeks and involved 2000 runners.

“One Run For Boston is a chance for runners to come together and show solidarity in a really dynamic way” said Kate Treleaven. “It’s a chance to be part of something remarkable, to demonstrate the strength of human spirit and send a powerful message of support to the city of Boston and those whose lives were changed on April 15.”

By collecting donations from each of the participating runners, the relay is raising money for The One Fund Boston, set up by the Mayor of Boston to assist the victims and families most seriously affected by the bombings. The One Run For Boston team have recently confirmed that donations made by runners who sign up to run in Oklahoma will be donated to the Disaster Relief Fund set up in the wake of last month’s devastating tornado.