Boston Marathon
After losing his father to glioblastoma and later surviving testicular cancer himself, he’s running with Team MGH to honor both of their journeys.
Adam Averback is running the 2026 Boston Marathon.
In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for Boston.com’s pop-up Boston Marathon newsletter.
Name: Adam Averback
Age: 44
From: Burlington, MA
In 2019, my father was treated at Massachusetts General Hospital for glioblastoma. He passed away in 2020. In 2021, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. I’m now cancer-free, but the experience reshaped how I think about time, health, and what I choose to do with both. Grief and cancer weren’t exactly on my five-year plan.
While mourning my dad, I realized sitting still wasn’t helping. So I started running — poorly. Ten minutes around the block felt impossible. But ten minutes turned into a 5K, then a 10K, then multiple half-marathons. Running became structure, therapy, and proof that I could keep moving forward when everything else felt stuck.
When I was accepted to run the Boston Marathon with Team MGH, it felt full-circle — Boston, endurance, and a connection to the hospital that had been part of my family’s story. Then life tried to derail it again. Shortly after my acceptance, I was hospitalized with a serious blood infection that nearly ended the whole thing. It was a reminder that progress isn’t linear, and plans are fragile. But after cancer, quitting wasn’t an option.
I recovered, got back to training, and now I’m on track for race day. This isn’t about speed or bragging rights. It’s about honoring my father, acknowledging survival, and reminding myself that forward motion—however slow—still counts.
The marathon is a long way from those first ten minutes running around the block, but in many ways it’s the same idea: keep moving, even when it’s hard to.
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