Healing trauma one step at a time
Irena King has understood the impact of healing from trauma since she was young. Her mom was involved in a near-fatal car accident at age 16, two years before she immigrated to the U.S. from Kazakhstan. “It resulted in numerous surgeries and health issues, and she is nearly blind because of it,” says King, who grew up hearing so many doctors tell her mom, “There’s nothing we can do.” Then, when King was in her teens, she experienced her own serious accident, falling off a horse during a competition. For a decade, she dealt with severe back pain and chronic migraines, which doctors all but shrugged off. “I got the usual, ‘Oh, you’re young, it’s probably hormones,’” says King, now 26 and living in Boston. When her pain became debilitating, X-rays finally revealed spinal problems, which she addressed through physical therapy and seeing a chiropractor. “It was like a cloud lifted,” she says of the pain easing up.
These experiences led King to where she is now, running the Boston Marathon (her first marathon) on behalf of The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation, which helps survivors of traumatic injuries—from military fighters to burn victims—navigate the aftermath through multidisciplinary care and advocacy. They also do community outreach to help prevent common forms of traumatic injury, from gun violence to traffic accidents. King first discovered Stepping Strong through the company she founded as an undergrad, Surgicure Technologies—her first professional step in addressing gaps in the treatment of traumatic injuries. “I was in a classroom when I learned that patients in respiratory distress had breathing tubes secured with flimsy tape—outrageous,” says King, who patented an airway device to solve the problem. King is now finishing her PhD in medical engineering and medical physics at MIT and Harvard, with the goal of innovating more solutions for people living with disabilities, disorders, and chronic disease.
As King enters the final stretch of training, her marathon mission has inspired her mom to more publicly share her story, to help convey the complex challenges trauma survivors face. “Part of why I was inspired to run for this team was to help people like her be more hopeful, less afraid of sharing their stories, and to find a community of support,” King says. “I also deeply respect the Stepping Strong Center’s holistic approach, which recognizes that trauma isn’t just about immediate injuries but also long-term recovery, rehabilitation, and mental health. They’re driving real change, and I’m honored to support them.”
Learn more about Irena King’s cause, and give if you can.
Sobriety: A never-ending marathon
“Eight years ago, I was hopeless,” Matt Duggan shares. “I couldn’t stop drinking, and my life and health were falling apart. People in the recovery community surrounded me, loved me, and helped guide me to find a life beyond my wildest imagination.” The community that comes with running races has also helped him stay strong. In 2018, two years into his sobriety journey, Duggan began running one and a half miles from his home in Newport, Rhode Island, to the beach, where he’d cool off with a swim. “It was time alone to leave everything behind, clear my mind, and ground myself,” he says. Gradually, his runs got longer: one-and-a-half-milers turned into 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, and marathons. Next month’s Boston Marathon will be Duggan’s third marathon, and the second time he’s running for an organization close to his heart—he’s representing Herren Project, which helps individuals and families live healthier lives by preventing substance abuse and creating community bonds that facilitate long-term sobriety. “I’ve been sober for more than eight years now thanks to organizations like Herren Project,” says Duggan, 38, a sales director who now lives in Tiverton with his wife, Theresa, and their four-year-old daughter, Molly.
Duggan hopes his Boston run helps put Herren Project on more people’s radar, since he knows exactly how impactful donations are: Just $100 can fund a weekly online support group, $250 can provide an individual with treatment placement, and $500 can provide seven weeks of recovery coaching. “On a larger scale, $1,000 can provide seven weeks of recovery housing—an incredible foundation for someone who needs the structure and support of sober living,” he says. When his training runs get gritty, Duggan digs in and remembers how far he’s come, and how many others are in his shoes. “Herren Project provides resources for those struggling with a disease that affects nearly every household in this country, in one way or another,” he says. “If it has affected you, I encourage you to read about the incredible difference they’re making in the recovery world—a world that my family and I will be forever grateful for.”
Learn more about Matt Duggan’s cause, and give if you can.
Diverse runners, represent
Like many people, Rayna Burke first took up running because it was an accessible, affordable way to lose weight. Yet she quickly realized it was kind of life-changing. “I came for the physical fitness but stayed for the psychological benefits,” says Burke, 35, who works in the legal industry and has lived in the Boston area for a decade. She ran her first marathon, New York City, in 2022 and knew she was hooked: “I now have a community of runner friends across different clubs, as well as a wealth of memories from fun races and events.” That said, Burke kept thinking how, while running has a low cost of entry, races can get expensive, thanks to registration fees and travel costs. They can also feel intimidating to first-timers from different backgrounds.
Making races more accessible is what’s fueling Burke to run the Boston Marathon on behalf of Stride for Stride, a nonprofit that helps remove barriers for people so that they can embrace running and healthy lifestyles. The goal isn’t just to cover race expenses—it’s to make racers of all backgrounds feel welcome and supported. “This organization means a lot to those of us who often feel like we do not belong in certain spaces for one reason or another,” Burke explains. “I personally used to have imposter syndrome, as someone who used to be very overweight and did not begin running—or really any athletic endeavor—until adulthood.” Stride for Stride promotes inclusivity in many ways, including providing race-day support for non-native speakers, mental-health therapy, and food-assistance services, since nutrition is essential to a successful training program.
Completing the Boston Marathon is part of an even more ambitious goal for Burke—completing all six Abbott World Marathon Majors; Boston and London, both in April, are her final push. Earning Abbott’s iconic six-star medal would definitely be a flex, but it’s really all about her internal mantra: Just keep moving, for health and well-being. “If I’m feeling unmotivated, I remember that I’ve made that promise to myself,” says Burke, who hopes to inspire others to try running and racing. “Running can be life-altering because it has so many physical, mental, and social benefits,” she says. “Regardless of socioeconomic or ethnic background, those who want to run races should run races. Stride for Stride will make this happen poco y poco, or little by little.”
Learn more about Rayna Burke’s cause, and give if you can.
Join them in their home stretch
These runners will dig deep to complete the notoriously hilly Boston Marathon course—which includes Heartbreak Hill—while hoping to inspire new donations to the organizations they know will put the money to good use. If you’re feeling fired up to support one of them—or maybe all three—head over to their fundraising pages to learn more, and contribute if you can: Irena King for The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center, Matt Duggan for Herren Project, and Rayna Burke for Stride for Stride. You can also check out the full list of this year’s 176 participating nonprofits to find the one that best fits your own personal, passionate why.
