On April 20, Matt Lydon of Maynard will run to defy cancer as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team in the 130th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America. Along with more than 500 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge teammates from across the country and around the world, he will run Massachusetts’ historic marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston to collectively raise more than $8.75 million for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Matt writes: “When I was 12, my mom died of breast cancer. Out of the wreckage of losing her, a lifelong bond was built with my dad. Sadly, he died of lymphoma in December 2023.

I would love your help via the link in my bio on this fundraising mission in support of cancer research and DFCI. Please donate using the following link and share with anyone you think might be interested.” http://danafarber.jimmyfund.org/goto/mattlydon2026

This year marks the 37th annual running of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, the largest and longest-running charity team for the Boston Marathon. One hundred percent of the funds raised by the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team benefit Dana-Farber’s Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research, which enables promising scientific research in its earliest stages. The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge has raised more than $140 million for the program since 1990.

To contribute to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, visit RunDFMC.org or call (617) 632-1970 or email [email protected]. Follow DFMC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/marathonchallenge.