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By Josh Perry
Hometown Weekly Staff
Needham resident Ryan Mckee has signed on to run in this April’s Boston Marathon as part of the RUN to End Alzheimer’s team, which supports the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
McKee has a deep connection with the association and the fight to end Alzheimer’s. He lost his grandmother and his wife’s grandmother to the disease, while his great-aunt Fran Allen is currently battling it.
Allen was an experienced marathoner and the first woman to win the prestigious Turing Award, given by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for “contributions of a technical nature made to the computing community,” according to the ACM website.
In a press release to local media, McKee said, “I can easily say that I would not have the career nor would I be the person that I am today without her…She was an avid runner and was by my side when I ran the New York City marathon several years ago.”
To date, McKee has already raised more than $11,700 on his way to his stated goal of $12,500. Last year, the Alzheimer’s Association team raised more than $360,000 for care, support, and research.
“The RUN to End Alzheimer’s team has made a big commitment in the fight against Alzheimer’s,” said Jim Wessler, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, Mass./N.H. Chapter. “Their dedication is inspiring and also supports critical research and support programs.”
To support Ryan McKee in his fundraising, visit www.crowdrise.com/alzBoston2016/fundraiser/ryanmckee.
Josh Perry is an Editor at Hometown Weekly. He can be reached at news@hometownweekly.net and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.
