Gay Runners Set for Boston Marathon

On April 20, thousands of Boston Marathon runners will once again pound the pavement for 26 miles from Hopkinton to Boston. The internationally renowned event attracts participants from far and wide, and their reasons for running are just as diverse. For many, it's a personal dream; for others, it's the chance to make a public statement.

The 20 members of the Boston Living Center's Running For Life Marathon Team certainly have a goal, and theirs comes with a dollar sign. Each member of the team is required to raise at least $3000 in pledges for the center, which provides a range of services for those living with HIV/AIDS, and many of them are leaving that bare minimum in the dust.

Bay Windows caught up with a few members of Boston's LGBT community who are lacing up their sneakers for the BLC. Some have run before, others are doing it for the very first time. But all of them are doing it for the best of reasons.

Adrian Budhu

When you're planning to run a marathon, the notion of quitting should be the furthest thing from your mind. With one notable exception:

"I quit smoking last August," says Adrian Budhu, the BLC's team captain. Though he's always been fit, Budhu says that his former habit probably wouldn't have served him come Marathon Monday. "On the outside, I looked healthy," he says. "But inside... well, I couldn't run more than two miles without hacking up a lung."

Evidently, Budhu doesn't do things halfway. Besides kicking the habit "cold turkey," his participation in this year's event marks his very first time running in a marathon. But he says he's known he wanted to run since moving to Boston from South America to attend college at Boston University in 1997. A few years ago he discovered the Boston Living Center as a project leader with Boston Cares, a local volunteerism organization.

"It's been in my heart ever since," he says.

Smoking wasn't the only thing Budhu gave up in anticipation of the marathon. He also decided to forego birthday presents this year, instead hosting a fundraising party and encouraging his guests to contribute toward his marathon goal the cash they would have spent on a gift. To date, Budhu has raised more than $3500.

He also gave up - sigh - a social life. "For the past three months, you'll never catch me going out on a Friday night," says Budhu, who trains about 40 miles a week between Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. "My social life has been pretty nonexistent," he laughs. "Though after the marathon I have a couple of friends ready to take me out, help me catch up, and enjoy my scotch for a couple of days. So I'm excited about that!"

Whatever sacrifices he's made, Budhu knows they are nothing compared to those living with HIV/AIDS. They remain his inspiration for running, and the marathon represents a form of volunteerism in itself.

"I love challenges, and this way I can give back to the LGBT population and HIV/AIDS population through my body, not just my time," says Budhu. "They go through so much. ... I want to push my body a little bit further to bring awareness to the cause. Anytime I train and I get tired, I think of someone who is sick and on medication for the rest of their lives. That's why I do it."

To learn more about Adrian Budhu and contribute to his goal, visit firstgiving.com/adrianbudhu.

Kevin Hourihan

Turning 30 can be a sore spot for some people, but Kevin Hourihan knew the right way to ring in his third decade. The only thing sore was his soles.
"I did the Chicago Marathon last October, on my thirtieth birthday," says Hourihan. Pretty impressive, considering that Hourihan had never run more than "five miles at a time" before training to run in the 2008 Boston Marathon on behalf of the BLC. Next week he'll do it again, and he's planning to repeat the act in 2010, the last of the BLC's three-year run as an official Boston Marathon charity.

"I don't know if I'll do it again after that," laughs Hourihan.

It's not that Hourihan doesn't enjoy his athletics. He's in his sixth season with the Beantown Softball League, and remembers first looking to join the BLC's marathon team because, "I really wanted to run the marathon and there were two ways: be really fast or do it for a charity," he chuckles. He raised nearly $5,000 for the BLC last year.

"And through the process last year, I came to learn more about the Living Center," says Hourihan. "Learn what the money we raise goes to, and meet some of the members. To see how it made an impact was really inspirational."

When he needs his own inspiration, Hourihan keeps his eyes on the prize.

"I want to push my body a little bit further to bring awareness to the cause. Anytime I train and I get tired, I think of someone who is sick and on medication for the rest of their lives. That's why I do it."
"When you cross the finish line, it's an emotional moment," says Hourihan.

"You know you joined that small group of people who have ever done a marathon... but it's also a learning experience. Prior to doing the marathon I had been involved in a lot of charity work, but it's amazing to see the impact of it through visiting the center and hearing their [BLC members] stories."

After the Marathon, Hourihan says he will visit the BLC's post-party at the center, and head over to the nearby bar Flashes with friends for a few refreshing beers.

"It's a tradition," he says.

And one worth keeping.

To learn more about Kevin Hourihan and contribute to his goal, visit firstgiving.com/kevinhourihan1.

Dan Soleau

If you want to find Dan Soleau after the Marathon, it shouldn't be too hard. How many runners will be standing by the finish line with a Diet Coke in one hand, and a cigarette in the other?

Now those are what we call Marlboro Miles.

"What can I say?" laughs Soleau. He knows it sounds odd, but that's how he's celebrated victory after his two previous runs in the Chicago Marathon. In fact, if you knew what his introduction to running was like, you might not blame him for needing a smoke afterwards.

"My first race was Chicago in 2007," says Soleau, 32. That year, temperatures approaching 90 degrees and high humidity caused major health concerns for runners: one died, and dozens were hospitalized. "Especially as a first marathon it was a crazy thing to do," admits Soleau. "And I hadn't decided until six weeks beforehand so it was a crash course of training. True insanity!"

Undeterred, Soleau will mark 2009 as his first year running in the Boston Marathon, and he's thrilled to do it for the BLC.

"In particular [I appreciate] the way it touches in the gay and lesbian community," says Soleau, who discovered the BLC as a volunteer nearly a decade ago. "They just really amazed me with their philosophy, their mission, and everything that they provide to people."

"It's the opportunity to do something I've wanted to do for a while, and also highlight something I'm committed to," continues Soleau. "It also gives me the chance to involve my family, friends, coworkers and people in my life, and to bring visibility and awareness of the BLC to people who might not have heard of them."

Besides raising money and awareness, Soleau has a few private goals in place, too. For one, he has a magic number he hopes his time will beat.

"My big goal has been to beat Oprah's time," laughs Soleau. The talk show queen clocked 4:29:15 when she ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Virginia in 1994. "I'm not going to let her, at her age and in the shape she was in, beat me," says Soleau.

"That's one of the more fun elements of my training."

And to those concerned that his smoking might slow him down, might we suggest: come back next year, and bring a little extra cash.

"I'm 99 percent certain that I'll be running for the BLC again next year," says Soleau. "Another one of my personal goals is to be smoke-free. And yes, I've been thinking about creative ways to parlay that into fundraising."

To learn more about Dan Soleau and contribute to his goal, visit firstgiving.com/dansoleau.