Boston Marathon Race Director Inspires Hingham Students to “Dream Big”

On Friday, February 28, 2020, the students at South Elementary were treated to an assembly featuring the very inspiring Dave McGillivray. In addition to being the race director for the Boston Marathon, Dave is also a  philanthropist, author and athlete who once ran across the nation, from Medford, MA to Medford, OR to benefit the Jimmy Fund.

Dave shared with the students that his journey wasn't always easy. Growing up "vertically challenged," as he says, Dave was regularly picked last for team sports and felt isolated from the other kids. To prove his worth, Dave began running. On his 12th birthday, he decided to run 12 miles and thus began his tradition of running his age in miles every year.

Dave has has run for 24-hours straight, swam for 24-hours, run 86 flights of stairs at the Empire State building, swam from Martha's Vineyard to Falmouth, among countless other challenges and activities...all in the name of the various charities he supports.

Earlier this week, many of the students read "Dream Big," which is Dave's new children's book with the message to never to underestimate their own ability to set and achieve goals.

An important lesson that Dave shared with the students was "I have learned there are no mistakes, only lessons and that the failed experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately works."

The message resonated with the students. After the Assembly, the Anchor caught up with a few of the students to ask them what they learned from Dave's presentation.

1st grader Preston Bonnet told the Anchor, "I learned to not be afraid but to just go for it!"