Dear 2024 Stepping Strong Marathon Team,
Hello from the Reny Family! We are so excited to officially welcome you to the 2024 Brigham Stepping Strong Marathon Team. We can’t wait to meet you in the months ahead at our team meetings, runs, gatherings and Marathon Weekend. We are so honored that you have all chosen to run and support The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation and the work we are doing to transform outcomes for trauma patients like our precious daughter, Gillian.
This year is especially meaningful as it marks 10 years since our family founded the Stepping Strong Center. We could never have imagined that in ten years we would grow from just 14 marathon runners to 140+ team members, opened a physical center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, funded 57 teams of physician-scientists, launched 3 educational fellowships to train the next generation of surgeons and care providers, started an injury prevention program, and raised more than $27 million! It is truly amazing—and proves that hope and goodness can emerge from even the most awful tragedy. We are also proud to say that we are already changing lives with Stepping Strong funded research. There are 33 individuals who have regained their mobility and are living their lives in ways that they never dreamed were possible thanks to our inaugural Stepping Strong Innovator, Dr. Matt Carty and his revolutionary Ewing/AMI Amputation procedure. Seven of these patients have participated on our Stepping Strong running teams, completing the B.A.A. 5K, Boston Marathon, B.A.A. 10K, and Falmouth Road Race.
We can’t wait to get to know you. The team is large, so it may take a while, but please know, it means so much to us to develop a friendship with each of you, so keep on introducing yourselves and reaching out. We hope to see many of you at the first team meeting THIS SATURDAY, November 4. We will also host small team gatherings in February and there will be other social events and surprises along the way that we hope will make your marathon experience extra special.
You are runners of all ages from across the globe with incredible personal stories that brought you to our team, and we are so inspired by each of you. With your gritty determination, you have made this year’s Stepping Strong team one of our best yet. We are confident that if we all “Step Strong” together from now until April 15, everyone will cross their finish line with great pride in knowing that we have accomplished something extraordinary—as individuals and collectively for the benefit of others.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Audrey, Steven, Danielle, Kyle, Gillian, and Matt