On April 18, Andrew Vrees and Evan White, are running to defy cancer as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team in the 126thBoston Marathon.

The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team will run in-person this year and will also offer the option of running virtually, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Along with more than 500 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge teammates from across the United States and around the world, they will run Massachusetts’ historic marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston to collectively raise $5.5 million for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

This year marks the 33rd annual running of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC). One hundred percent of the money raised by the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team benefits Dana-Farber’s Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research, which supports promising science research in its earliest stages. The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge has raised more than $105 million for the Barr Program to date.

In 1990, Dana-Farber was among the first charity organizations to be recognized by the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A), which organizes the Boston Marathon. The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team offers its members extensive fundraising support, training guidance from 1976 Boston Marathon Men’s Open Division Champion Jack Fultz, and team training runs. Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge runners who are not time-qualified for the Boston Marathon receive an invitational entry into the race. 

Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge runners include cancer survivors and patients, and family and friends of those who have been affected by cancer. Each team member must fulfill a basic fundraising commitment:

• Invitational runners - runners who receive their entry from Dana-Farber have a fundraising commitment of $7,500.

• Own entry runners - runners who have joined the DFMC after obtaining their own race entry have a fundraising commitment of $4,000.

• Virtual runners - runners participating virtually have a fundraising commitment of $4,000.

To contribute to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, visit RunDFMC.org or contact the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge office at (617) 632-1970or [email protected]. Follow DFMC on Facebook: www.facebook/marathonchallenge. On Twitter: #RunDFMC.

Dana-Farber’s Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research

Since its inception in 1990, the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge has raised more than $105 million for the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research. Dana-Farber Trustees J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver founded the program in 1987 to honor Mrs. Weaver’s mother, Claudia Adams Barr, who lost her battle with cancer 30 years earlier.

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading centers of cancer research and treatment. Dana-Farber’s mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber is a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

We provide the latest treatments in cancer for adults through Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center and for children through Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Dana-Farber is the only hospital nationwide with a top 5 U.S. News & World Report Best Cancer Hospital ranking in both adult and pediatric care.

As a global leader in oncology, Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique and equal balance between cancer research and care, translating the results of discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world, offering more than 1,100 clinical trials.