Stride for Stride founder Tom O'Keefe makes road races more diverse, accessible
BOSTON - Tom O'Keefe calls Stride for Stride the best thing he's ever done. That's saying something for an entrepreneur who's launched other charities and boasts more than 270,000 followers online as the culture, restaurant and events influencer @BostonTweet. But in his five-year-old non-profit, Tom created a community in which people bond over life experiences, friendship and a love of running.
Stride for Stride was born from Tom's realization that road races lacked diversity. The six-time marathoner says he came to running relatively late in life (he was 40 when he started) and quickly realized that the majority of the people toeing the line--at races of all lengths-- looked "very white" like him. He set out to change that; to make road races more diverse and accessible by raising money to buy race bibs for immigrants, BIPOC and low-income runners. He launched the team in November, 2018. He jokes that it was the worst time to start a non-profit for runners because Boston's late fall weather is so terrible. But in February 2019, he had his first Stride for Stride teammate, Estuardo Calel, who moved to Boston from Guatemala in 2005. "Once he joined the team, I knew we had something. Then he invited Jess and Doug and Jorge," he said. "We just started growing from there." There are now 285 runners from 24 different countries.
"Beautiful, happy, energetic, positive people who share my passion for running have made a lot of difference in my life," Eduardo Rodriguez explained. He moved to Boston from Puebla, Mexico and joined Stride for Stride during the pandemic. At that time, there were no official road races, so teammates often drew a line on the ground and celebrated the completion of a run by crossing it. Eduardo's first "real" race was the 2021 Falmouth Road Race, an experience that exceeded every expectation. "It was a life changing experience," he remembers, "Crossing the finish line gave me a sense of accomplishment." He felt so empowered that he has since founded the Chelsea Running Club to encourage neighbors to join him on the road. Although he is tending to an injury right now, Eduardo's goal is to eventually run the Boston Marathon-something that he says would be impossible were it not for Stride for Stride because of the cost. A qualifying runner pays $225 as an entry fee for the Boston Marathon and $295 for the TCS New York Marathon.
Anny Sanchez, who joined the team after meeting Eduardo is, like 30 Stride for Stride runners, training for the Run to Remember in late-May in Boston. She will run the half-marathon less than a month after running the Providence Half. Her ultimate goal is to run a full marathon in Philadelphia. But she insists that Stride for Stride is about more than running. "We support each other all the time. The people are so nice, especially Tom. Tom is amazing with us. It's a community so respectful... it makes you feel strong," Sanchez said.
Both Anny and Eduardo say that immigrants-particularly those working to support family members in other countries-can feel financially stressed and emotionally isolated. The camaraderie they found in Stride for Stride is a confidence-boosting source of support.
Eduardo, Anny and Tom describe their connection as a massive international family.
Somewhere in that family, may be the person who saves Tom's life. During the pandemic, a routine medical check-up led to further tests and a diagnosis of chronic kidney disease-CKD. Incredibly, his mother was a hemodialysis nurse who he says would be devastated by his diagnosis. Tom remembers sitting with her patients when he was a boy and thinking, "I hope that I never have kidney disease." With no family history of CKD, its origins are a mystery. And so far, nothing his doctor has tried has successfully treated it.
Tom needs a kidney transplant. For months, he and his wife Bridget anticipated that Tom's cousin Colleen would donate her kidney. But after six months of planning, they found out in March (just as Tom was preparing to run the New York City Half-Marathon) that she couldn't. As devastating as it was to get that news, two Stride for Stride teammates came forward-not 48-hours later-and told Tom that they had started the process to become his potential donor. It is an offer Tom describes as "overwhelming." The teammates, who want (for now) to remain anonymous, may or may not be compatible. But just knowing that they would consider donating a kidney has reduced Tom (who insists he's not overly sentimental) to tears. "It's been an incredible experience just to see the generosity and love of people for sure," O'Keefe said.
There is no question that love plays a role in keeping us strong. Right now, Tom is able to avoid dialysis by focusing on his health, running (but not too much), eating well, avoiding alcohol and surrounding himself with good energy. Estuardo made Tom and Bridget godparents to his twins in 2022. And Tom is looking forward to the day when he is training-with a new kidney-for his next Boston Marathon. He says that if the donor is a Stride for Stride teammate, they will run it together. A celebration of an extended family and the connections that give life meaning.