Way to go, Neil!

See press release below:

On Monday, April 17t , City of Boston Credit Union Director Neil McGonagle will run in the Boston
Marathon on the 10th Anniversary of the Marathon Bombing that shocked our great city but brought its
people together in a moment of unity and strength. Neil is no stranger to the Boston Marathon,
however, having run the historic race for over 30 consecutive years!

Neil McGonagle started his marathon journey in the late 1980s when he received a last-minute
lottery number for the New York City Marathon. Having only two months to train, Neil got his distance
up to 12 miles before the big day. “I ran the Marathon and was so sore I couldn’t move the next day,”
said McGonagle. It was at that point that he decided to start training and ran the Boston Marathon the
next year, and hasn’t missed one since!

Aside from the fun and glory of race day itself, there are many aspects of running the Boston
Marathon that is near and dear to Neil’s heart. He says that he has met some of the best people in the
world running and has been able to visit some great places. Neil, to the surprise of non-marathoners
everywhere, really enjoys the training that leads up to each big race. Along with the great exercise that
training entails, Neil says that “spending Saturday and Sunday mornings with your friends is the best. If
you want to get a chance to learn something about someone, go on an 18-mile run with them…you will
cover everything!” There are also elements of teamwork and accountability that come into play when
training with a marathon team or fellow marathon friends – if you sleep through a long run “you’re
going to hear about it.”

McGonagle has run for many groups throughout his years and has supported many charitable
teams and initiatives along the way. The L Street Running Club, Dorchester Running Club, Parkway
Running Club, and the Boston Police Runners Club have all been meaningful groups in Neil’s life and
throughout his running career. More recently, however, Neil says that “the last 10 years of running with
Team MR8 has been a blessing! The Richard Family are some of the best people I have ever had the
privilege of meeting, and the Team MR8 teammates I have met along the way will be lifelong friends.”

This year on the 10th Anniversary of the Bombing, the Martin Richard Foundation’s MR8 Tribute
team will be 50+ runners strong, including Martin’s teachers, coaches, and friends, and led by his brother, Henry Richard. Running to commemorate Martin’s life and the Foundation’s mission of inclusion, kindness, justice, and peace, Team MR8 will surely be one to cheer for as they make their way through this historic 26.2-mile course.

Neil McGonagle will be there, as he has been for over 30 years, and if you see him before the race starts, you might just hear him and his friends quoting one of Boston’s notorious films, The Town – “if it was easy kid, everyone would be doing them!”

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