McGillivray recently celebrated running his 50th consecutive Boston Marathon and is currently launching his own charitable foundation, The Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation
Fenway Park, Boston, MA (May 15, 2022) On Friday May 20, 2022, Dave McGillivray makes a triumphant return to Fenway Park to throw out the first pitch when the Red Sox play the Seattle Mariners. McGillivray, who as a child had a sign above his bed, “Please God, make me grow” and always wanted to play second base for the Boston Red Sox, was always the last pick and the last one cut when trying out for team sports. Dave used the mantra of being the last pick to motivate himself in life and to earn the right to set daunting goals and to give back so others would someday have a chance to accomplish their dreams in life.
Dave never played second base at Fenway Park but found another path to accomplish his childhood dreams and to dedicate his life to helping others do the same.
It was 44-years ago when 24-year-old Dave McGillivray ran 3,452 miles across America from Medford, OR to Medford, MA for the Jimmy Fund finishing in Fenway Park on August 29, 1978. McGillivray started ceremonially in the Kingdome in Seattle during a Red Sox / Seattle Mariners game and finish in Fenway Park when the Red Sox were also playing the Mariners. Ironically, the Mariners will be in town on May 20 when McGillivray throws out the first pitch. The last time he threw out the first pitch at Fenway was in 2004 when he and 9 others ran into Fenway Park after running across America as a relay team.
McGillivray and Fenway Park are synonymous. He has run into the ballpark on numerous other occasions – after running up the East Coast of America, again after completing his 2nd run across America as part of a relay team, finishing one of his annual birthdays runs, celebrating the 40th anniversary of his historic 1978 run. He also helped create and annually helps manage the Run to Home Base at Fenway Park and in the past few years created, directed, and run himself in the Fenway Park Marathon, 113 laps around the warning track.
And all of this while raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes like the Jimmy Fund and the Boston Red Sox Foundation.
This past Patriots’ Day, McGillivray completed his 50th consecutive Boston Marathon running at night after all the other runners had finished and after his Race Director duties were done. This was the 35th time he has run the marathon at night.
McGillivray recently launched his own charitable foundation, The Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation whose mission is to inspire and empower youth across New England and beyond to increase physical activity, expand literacy and build community and self-esteem through running, reading, and perform acts of kindness. Dave is an accomplished motivational speaker and has given over 1,900 presentations since his historic run across the country. He is also the author of three children’s books, Dream Big, Running Across America and Finish Strong, as well as his first book, appropriately titled, The Last Pick.
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