Christopher Reeve's son to run marathon in honor of his dad
Will Reeve, son of late “Superman” actor Christopher Reeve, will run in Sunday’s New York City Marathon to carry on his father’s legacy.
The ESPN sports reporter told the New York Post that he wants to personally raise $35,000 for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which his parents founded. The charity raises funds for medical research and supports patients with spinal cord injuries and Reeve sits on the board.
Reeve’s father became one of Hollywood’s most well-known disability rights activists after he was thrown from a horse and subsequently paralyzed in 1995. Christopher and Dana raised millions of dollars for the organization, which focused particularly on stem-cell research.
Reeve became orphaned after his father died from a heart attack in 2004 and his mother died just 17 months later from lung cancer. Following the tragedies, Will lived with family friends in Bedford, New York.
He told the Post that though he was not initially enthusiastic about running such a long distance, he changed his mind after joking about running the marathon for years.
“Finally I realized, ‘What kind of example am I setting when many of the people in the spinal-injury world for whom I advocate would do anything just to be able to step up to the starting line?’ ” he said.
He will run in a group of 50 people -- including friends and his girlfriend -- dubbed Team Reeve.
“Everything I do, I try to honor my parents’ legacy,” he said. “I want to keep their names alive.”