Brookline Dad, Inspired By Daughter To Run Boston Marathon 2019

BROOKLINE, MA — He is a father, a husband an aviator and an Army officer who has traveled around the world - from a small mission in Jinja, Uganda to leading soldiers in major combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two years ago, Jeremy Paquin and his family landed in Brookline and, he said, the welcome he and his family have felt here made him want to give back to the community. So he's lacing up and running the Boston Marathon for one of Brookline's educational nonprofits. Patch spent some time recently after seeing a video of his daughter posted to Facebook thanking her teachers and the Brookline Education Foundation for helping her in school.

Part of Brookline Education funding goes to programs that include training for specialists that help his daughter Lilly overcome her learning differences with dyslexia. Paquin says the program is crucial to her success, positive self-image, and ability to move forward with her peers.

Here's what else Paquin had to say.

PATCH: How'd you hear about the Brookline team?

Paquin: I got an email through the Brookline Education Foundation in the fall, they were reaching out for Team Brookline to take applicants for the Boston Marathon to raise money for the foundation. Immediately, I knew that was exactly something I'd be perfect for.

Why does BEF stand out to you?

They provide funding to train the teachers to help students with special needs, those teachers work with my daughter.

They also do grants for things like STEM, and that really resonates with me.

How many marathons have you run?

This will be my third marathon. Though, training for this one has been a lot different. A lot of 20 degree days and waking up at 7:45 on a Saturday morning. But getting out there with this team, they're so positive and inspirational to me, it really makes it all worth it.

What's your Athletic goal for this one?

I really want to finish, but if I can I'll try to beat four hours. We'll see.

Where will your family be cheering?

They'll probably be around Washington Square along Beacon Street.

Talk a bit about how Brookline Education Foundation helped your daughter:

They provided her with an additional teacher who help her get organized and who is keen on her learning difference and helped her adapt to the classroom. She's capable of handling the work, but how she perceives it is different. It's made a real big difference.

How has your daughter inspired this run?

She is such an inspiration. Every day she gets up and gives it her best. I see how hard it is and it doesn't dissuade her at all. It's so motivating. Since posting the video, people have been sharing their stories, and with her, it's this perpetual cycle for all of us. I like to call it a learning difference, not a disability.

How's training going?

I think we're mid training, we have roughly eight weeks left. We're doing 23 weeks of training and during the week our short runs are 5-10 miles and our long Saturday runs are up in the mid teens. We run different parts of the course. Team Brookline has all kinds of volunteers who put up water stops: It's a really great community effort. It's been such a positive experience.

Hardest part?

I don't really know. I think the cycles of inspiration have really kept me going and not thinking about hard parts. Though, I think raising the money is hard. It's hard to ask people in joining me in donating. But after getting the positive responses and stories with me, I've overcome that challenge of asking people to donate.

Any thing else?

I just want to say thank you to everybody who has supported us so far and donated being part of this community has been great so far and together we can continue to make it better.

Three daughters attend Driscoll School.

If you're interested in donating to his run do so at this website.

Photo courtesy Jeremy Paquin