Growing up in the town of Bolton, Massachusetts, Pete was raised in a very athletic family. Almost every weekend in the winter, they could be found at a cross-country ski race in New Hampshire or Vermont, while basketball and soccer reigned in other seasons. Although, he enjoyed these activities, running quickly became his passion early on. Pete’s grandfather, Marty, enjoyed great success coaching cross-country at Geneseo State, winning the 1986-87 conference championship and election into the Sports Hall of Fame. He served as a source of early inspiration as they often went running together. At age 12, Pete won his first road race which began to fuel his competitive desire. While in high school, he was a league all-star in cross-country, skied cross-country, and had great success competing in both the 2 mile and 800 meter track & field distances. Serving as co-captain of the cross-country and track teams, he found great enjoyment in helping lead others to athletic achievement, and later served as an assistant high school x-c ski coach. In college, Pete was recruited during orientation to row for the lightweight crew team at Cornell and continued to row for two years, before switching to x-c skiing following a difficult wrist injury. While in college, he majored in Applied Economics & Business Management and continues to work full-time in the Finance field today.
After college, with a persistent Achilles injury behind him, Pete resumed running, competing in numerous short distance races before stepping up the training volume as he sought to take on the challenge of the marathon, with the dream of running Boston. After missing qualifying for Boston by a mere16 seconds at the 1999 Baystate marathon, he was able to achieve his goal only four weeks later at the Ocean State Marathon. Now, 10 years later, Pete is still running marathons and qualified to run his 5th Boston with his 3:14 time at the Chicago Marathon in October. Through his running, Pete has also sought to help others as he has raised thousands of dollars for the American Red Cross and Arthritis foundations, and has volunteered for events such as the Boston Marathon and the Indoor Track & Field Championships. These activities have not only helped to provide additional motivation, but have also led to great friendships.
To enhance running performance, Pete cross-trains with activities including hiking, x-c skiing, cycling, and working out on the new Indo-Row® machine. As an amateur photographer, Pete created www.MarathonTile.com, where runners and other athletes can commemorate and display their athletic achievements with images placed permanently onto tumbled marble tile.
Pete strives to educate others on the many benefits of running and also the importance of regular exercise throughout life. He finds that running not only clears the mind from the complexities of today’s world, but also drives mental stimulation, increases focus, and generates a productivity boost long after the run is completed. The marathon’s unique physical challenge provides for a great sense of accomplishment, while teaching perseverance and mental toughness, critical for success in other areas of life. As a veteran of 15 marathons and several half-marathons, Pete enjoys helping runners with their questions on training techniques, race strategy, or treatment of difficult injuries, whether they are training for their first 5K or embarking on running the Boston marathon.
