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Community Corner

Chelmsford Man Raises Money for Cancer Research

Teg Griffiths dedicated 500 miles of running to the cause.

Teg Griffiths would not describe himself as a runner.

That hasn’t stopped the Chelmsford man from running 335 miles since April 1. It’s no fool’s joke. His motivation is to raise money and awareness for cancer and cancer research. Griffiths said he decided to start his fundraising and running after reading a Facebook post about cancer in the spring.

For Griffiths, however, actions speak louder than words; reposting something simply wasn’t enough.

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“I’m not just a person that posts things, I’ve got to do something,” he said.

A further inspiration for Griffiths’ fundraising is that his mother is undergoing chemotherapy for stage four cancer and his sister-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago.

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“So it’s kind of a near and dear topic,” he said of how cancer had affected him.

Griffiths chose the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to benefit from his fundraising because Dana Farber is treating his mother. He also looked for a cause with “wide appeal” and because of the work the institute does with juvenile cancer research. Dana Farber Cancer Institute is a Boston-based clinic that researches cures for cancer.

Griffiths has his own website where friends and supporters can donate money to the cause. So far, Griffiths has raised $1,092. Though this may seem like a lot, it’s only 11 percent of the $10,000 he is trying to raise.

Griffiths said that he decided upon running because he wanted to make a “challenge” for himself.

He first set himself a goal of running 500 miles in a year. Griffiths chose 500 because it broke down to be about one and a half miles each day for a whole year. He also established rules: the miles couldn’t be on a treadmill, nor could he count distance he ran during his weekly soccer games.

“I didn’t want it to be something that I would just finish in a weekend, because, hey, I’d just go back and sit in front of the TV and vegetate again,” he said. “The cause drives me to keep running.” 

Though Griffiths is athletic—he is an avid soccer player—he described starting up running as “difficult.”

“The route I take now, I would have to stop every ¾ of a mile,” he said of his early efforts.

One thing that has improved over five months of running is not just his average mile time, but also his waistline. As the miles add up, the pounds shed. Griffiths said he’s lost a good deal of weight during his running stint.

“I feel good, I’ve lost 20 pounds in weight—so there’s definitely a kickback for me," he said.

Griffiths has also changed his attitude toward running.

“The whole change is the fact that I want to go running now. I actually enjoy it," he said.

Griffiths often runs to work, knowing it will mean he will also have to run back. The round-trip totals at 7.5 miles—not a meager effort. He’s also on schedule to finish far ahead of time. Griffiths said next year he will either ramp up the mileage, or try to do 500 in less time. Griffiths encourages others to “get out there” much as he did.

“It benefits your health. It benefits not just you but the people around you because you’re fitter, you’re healthier,” he said.

For those who would like to help out in other ways, Griffiths has provided for this as well. Soon, you may be able to eat a 10-ounce burger and contribute to Dana Farber. Griffiths’ water hole of choice is the British Beer Company in Westford. Griffiths, a native of the U.K., has a burger named after him that is occasionally featured on their menu.

“I kind of created it, and it gets thrown up onto the menu every so often,” he said. The plan is that when Griffith’s 500-mile goal gets closer, the British Beer Company will feature the “Teg Burger” for the last two weeks of his running. All proceeds will go toward the Dana-Farber Institute.

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