The massage therapy foundation (MTF) team MTF, running for research, has been looking forward to the 125th Boston Marathon for two years. Postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, runners Shari Aldrich, Kelly Cartus, Rich Evonitz, and Oliver Layco are lacing up on October 11 in Boston.

We caught up with them to see how training is going and how they’ll feel on marathon day as they cross the finish line having fundraised for a cause close to their hearts—massage therapy research. 

Massage Today: What motivated you to #runforresearch for the MTF?

Kelly Cartus: There are so many reasons. I have a couple of colleagues with whom I have worked and who I got to know through the American Massage Therapy Association’s (AMTA) New York chapter who have done this, and they both had such wonderful experiences.

Oliver Layco: As I’ve run my marathons over the years, it became apparent how hand in hand my sport and massage therapy went together. As I became a massage therapist myself, this was the perfect opportunity for me to showcase how massage can be a way to keep people moving.

Richard Evonitz: I’ve always wanted to run Boston, and the good work MTF does in researching the connections that massage therapy has to overall health is a cause I believe in deeply.

Shari Aldrich: Massage therapy and running saved my life. In a seven-year span, I lost three family members suddenly: two siblings in their 30’s and our mom at 59.  At the time, I was working as an information technology director supporting 150 computers in 10 offices and two states by myself. I was so stressed and having daily headaches that I would take 10 ibuprofen every day just to get through the day.  I thought I would die before I was 40.

I started training for the Seattle Marathon in 2004 and as part of my training, I got my first massage. The minute hands were laid on my back I had an epiphany that massage was what I was looking for, as far as my health went.  I started massage therapy school in 2005 and in 2006 I resigned from my job.I believe that the world needs to know about the benefits of massage therapy.  The research MTF does is important to substantiating the benefits of massage and helps the medical community trust the work that massage therapists provide.

MT: What does the work of MTF mean to you as you prepare for the marathon?

KC: I am a huge proponent of research in any field (I was in a different career prior to becoming a massage therapist). The work that MTF does, which includes research, education, support, and giving back to society, is so important. It justifies what I do as a massage therapist.

OL: The work of the MTF aligns perfectly with my goals as a massage therapist: to make people more aware of massage therapy as a form of health and wellness. It helps provide credibility that I am still able to keep running relatively pain-free with the knowledge and 

research that is done by the MTF. 

RE: I’m really proud to associate myself with MTF in running the Boston Marathon. They have been terrific in supporting my journey, and it demonstrates their hard work and skill in perfecting how they execute on this fundraising project.

SA: As a massage school owner and educator, it’s important for me to be able to point to legitimate research on the effectiveness of massage. Running for the MTF allows me to put the importance of their work at the forefront as I discuss with my students and our school audience why I’m running for research.

MT: How is this year’s marathon extra meaningful for you given the impacts of COVID and the rescheduling of the marathon? 

KC: I have been busier than ever since returning to work. I have seen an increased number of people seeking massage therapy as a way to cope, relieve stress, and get back to some form of normalcy. Not only has my working so much to help others elicited so many emotions within me, but the ongoing maintenance training I have done for the Boston Marathon throughout the pandemic (in anticipation of a re-scheduled date), and now hardcore training, have all been very challenging on my body. When I cross that finish line, I imagine I will be overcome with a myriad of emotions.

OL: Running has been my way to ground myself for over half my life. The thrill of traveling, arriving at the expo, and the race itself is a feeling like no other. To be able to come together in Boston is just the icing on the cake after the past year. 

RE: This year demonstrates resiliency. Maybe the world wasn’t ready in April to race, but the organizers understand how important it was to have the race when it was safe, and they are doing so in October. Holding events like Boston 2021 underscore that we are getting back to normal.

SA: My mantra is “movement is life.” Through COVID, my focus was on my students and staff—ensuring they were doing okay. Seeing the number of infections and deaths grow every day was overwhelming. As I run, I am grateful for my health and my life and I feel more alive. Rescheduling the marathon was emotionally tough. But, I’m grateful for the opportunity to run in October.

MT: What do you hope others in the profession take away as they see you represent MTF?

KC: Support for MTF is so important. Funding for this foundation is necessary to continue research, education, and outreach to help bring heightened awareness to the importance of massage therapy as a complement to overall wellness.

OL: I hope others can see how impactful our work as massage therapists can be on a larger scale. 

RE: Massage therapy is a great profession. Massage therapists help clients achieve optimal health in ways we don’t fully understand, but that we will learn about through the MTF’s research that gets funded through events like this.

SA: This will be my fourth marathon and the first where I am running for a charity.  I hope others in the profession recognize MTF as a valuable organization that moves the massage therapy profession forward. I am just one in a long line of runners. I hope to inspire other massage therapists to join the ranks in upcoming years so the work of the MTF continues.

MT: Do you participate in marathons often? What has been the most challenging part? 

KC: I have run many half-marathons, 15K events, and shorter distance events. However, when I completed one full marathon back in November of 2018, I declared I would never run another. Time, and the need to support, surpassed that proclamation, and here I am training for what will no doubt be another incredibly fulfilling experience.

OL: I ran my first marathon in 2014 and at the time I thought it would be a one and done deal, which is still a great accomplishment! I was crying with about four miles left to go from the sheer pain of it. I thought I would barely finish let alone want to run more. But, something clicked as I was recovering that motivated me to sign up again and again and again. As of today, I have run 11 full marathons. I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without my own massage therapist, Natasha Teresa. The most challenging part has been managing my expectations. Like many others, I am my hardest critic and I used to be disappointed when I wouldn’t get the time I wanted. I still struggle with this, but I still crossed that finish line and got another medal around my neck. That’s something no one can take away from me no matter what the clock says.

RE: This will be my seventh marathon. Prior to Boston, I ran the New York City Marathon in November 2019. I’ve also completed Phoenix, Richmond, Walt Disney World, Marine Corps, and Chicago. Mile 21 and 22 are always hard for me, but then I focus on that I’m almost at the finish line. 

SA: My first marathon was meant for me to feel alive after experiencing so much death in my family. My second marathon was 10 years later. I ran that one after a traumatic injury that caused me to have one of my fingers amputated.  Both of those had great personal meaning for me. The most challenging part for me is the training during long workdays.

MT: Any advice for those looking to get into marathon running?

KC: Definitely have a purpose, surround yourself with people who will support you, and be kind to yourself along the way.

OL: Just put one foot in front of the other. As cheesy as it may seem, that’s all there is really. Become that best version of yourself that you are more than capable of reaching. And don’t forget to have fun with it. The struggles will be there, but that’s all part of the experience and the growth process. You are a lot more resilient than you give yourself credit for. And there’s a whole world of people out there willing to support you whether you know them or not.

RE: For me, once I felt good running a half marathon, I took that step to train and complete a full one. I’m not an elite runner; I run to complete a marathon. It’s important to set goals for yourself along the way in order to get ready to run a full marathon. Focus on goals that are doable for you and go for it!

SA: When I trained for my first marathon in 2004, I said to myself every morning when the alarm went off at 5 a.m., “don’t even think about it—get up, get dressed, and go run.”  These days, my morning mantra is “win the day.”

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