USALLIANCE Runs the Boston Marathon

It was right after the devastating 201 Boston Marathon when Dan O'Brien joined USALLIANCE.

Loving husband and father, it wasn't long before Dan discovered Credit Union Kids at Heart, an organization that works with Boston Children's Hospital to fund several pediatric research projects. This is where a project became a passion and ultimately turned a solution architect into a cause-driven marathon runner.

After missing the cutoff for the runners in 2014, Dan immediately jumped at the chance to run in 2015 and then again in 2016. Now in his third year, Dan is running for two patients at Boston Children’s Hospital, Matty and Kayla, who also happen to be siblings. Each marathon, Credit Union Kids at Heart pairs runners with patient partners who have extraordinary medical challenges but who also possess great spirit, faith, and courage. This year is Dan’s second time running for Matty and his first time running for Kayla. Both children have inspired him to keep running forward.

Each day, Dan wakes with training in mind. Some days he’ll run between 4.5-7 miles or engage in a total body workout before waking his son and going to work. While at USALLIANCE, he keeps his body in motion with a quick walk every hour. As the day draws to a close, he heads home to walk his dog, spend time with his family, and finally rounds out his training with stretching and some meditation. On the weekends Dan takes on the longer runs either solo or with other Credit Union Kids at Heart team members to prepare for the whole marathon experience.

To Dan, running the Boston Marathon is so much more than logging 26.2 miles. It means:

• Participating in a great cause that sponsors 21 athletes and that is on target to raise $400,000 this year for research in treatment, therapy, and cures for Moyamoya disease, Sturge-Weber syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and brain tumors.
• Learning from and interacting with some of the greatest people he's ever met and hearing incredible stories of people overcoming all sorts of odds.
• Participating in the longest running marathon in the world. The Boston Marathon was first run in 1897.
• Continually being inspired and wanting to become better.

On behalf of all of the employees at USALLIANCE, we wish Dan the best of luck.

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