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 Johnny Pesky and Neil "the snail" Bernstein To contribute to the Pesky Pole Marathon, online, go to
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 Neil "the snail" Bernstein, finishing the 2005 Boston Marathon, in the first "Pesky Pole Marathon." (Photo from Boston Globe online.)  Neil "the snail" Bernstein, starting the 2007 Boston Marathon, in the second "Pesky Pole Marathon." (Photo from Boston Globe online.) |
On Patriots' Day, 2009, endorsed by Johnny Pesky, Swampscott resident Neil "the snail" Bernstein will run his fourth annual "Pesky Pole Marathon". He will run the entire 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon wearing a miniature Pesky Pole, as pictured, above, in support of the Jimmy Fund.
Neil ran his first, and the first ever, Pesky Pole Marathon in 2005, finishing in a net time of 4:13:18. In 2007, "the snail" ran his second Pesky Pole Marathon. His goal in 2007 was to break 4 hours. Under the windy conditions, he was happy to improve by over 2 minutes, finishing in 4:10:45. in 2008, with even less time to train, he still managed to knock 2 more minutes off, finishing in 4:08:25. This year, the snail has had almost no time to train, so don't expect any records this year. He hopes to finish, in one piece, in under 4:30.
"It is always so incredible to see the looks on the faces of the kids at Dana-Farber," said Johnny Pesky, Swampscott resident, Red Sox legend and recipient of the Jimmy Fund Award in 1999. Pesky continued, "I really like this crazy idea - Neil's Pesky Pole Marathon run. I encourage Red Sox and Boston Marathon fans to support the run, with contributions to the Jimmy Fund. Your generosity makes a difference in the lives of these kids."
The Jimmy Fund Clinic at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a place where children and their families find hope. Dana-Farber is on track to conquering major forms of cancer within this decade. Home to many of the world's groundbreaking discoveries in cancer research and treatment, Dana-Farber is uniquely primed to transform this vision to a reality.
Neil began his Boston Marathon career as a "bandit," pacing a good friend, in 2000 and 2001. Since going "legal," in 2002, Neil has been both the oldest and, four times, the fastest marathoner from Swampscott.
Inspired by the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series in 2004 and Mark Bellhorn's Pesky Pole home run, Neil decided that it would be great to run the 2005 Boston Marathon with a miniature Pesky Pole on his head, and the pole was completed just one day before the marathon. That year, Neil was second fastest in Swampscott, in his first Pesky Pole Marathon. In recent years, Neil has run 2-4 marathons each year.
In 2006, the snail also ran a 50-mile trail run, in Willowdale State Forest, Ipswich. In 2007, he attempted the Arkansas Traveller 100 Mile trail run, but had to drop out with a sprained ankle, after 15 hours and 58 miles. Of course, he participates in dozens of races every year, mostly on the North Shore, competing for the North Shore Striders, for whom he volunteers to help organize local races.
From the technical details department: The miniature Pesky Pole itself was constructed from the following materials: yellow painter's hat (received at the New York Marathon, in 2004), yellow plastic book cover, plastic ball, wire hangar (for vertical support), plastic wire ties (for "circular" support), ribs (from Gatorade bottles) and safety pins, tape and thread (to hold together the bits and pieces). In 2007, Sponge Bob Square Pants' image was surgically removed from the top of the hat (to allow for better air circulation).
More about the Pesky Pole:
Pesky Pole on the Boston Red Sox web site.
Pesky Pole on Red Sox Connection
Pesky Pole on Wikipedia.
To contribute to the Pesky Pole Marathon, online, go to
| Donate to the Jimmy Fund |
If you prefer "snail mail," send a check to:
The Jimmy Fund
10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor
Brookline, MA 02445-7295.
Please make the check out to "The Jimmy Fund", with "Pesky Pole Marathon" on the memo line. Thank you for your support.