Younger generation to honour parents at walk
Posted By By Pete Fisher


Fourteen children from five different local families will unite this Sunday, April 27 with one common goal: to work and walk to find a cure for a disease that is slowly robbing each of them of a loved one.

Ranging in age from six to 37, Charae and Nicole Wamsley, Jenn and Cameron McNaughton, Katrina and Kari Spry, Cameron Stinchcomb, Adam Bath, Lori McCulloch, and Katelyn, Brandon, Craig, Tyler and Lisa Brooks each have a parent with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Joined by relatives, friends and strangers for the seventh annual Waumer Walk for ALS in Cobourg, they will be walking for their parents - Dennis (Waumer) Wamsley (diagnosed in 2001), Gerry McNaughton (July 2007), Heather Stinchcomb (1998), Paul Brooks (December 2007), and Bob Spry (November 2007).

The fundraiser is named for Mr. Wamsley. He has said since the event's inception that his only wish is for people to come out, have a good time and learn more about the disease.

Pro wakeboarder Mike Maynard from Hastings Marine will be on hand for this year's family-oriented event, Gilmer's Home Hardware in Port Hope is giving away a free barbecue, and silent auction items include a signed jersey from NHL player Shane O'Brien.

Proceeds from the Waumer Walk will go toward ALS research and awareness. In the last six years, through the generous support of local merchants, the walk has raised more than $300,000.

Registration for the Waumer Walk begins at 10 a.m.; the walk starts at 11 a.m.

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at the end of the 112th Boston Marathon
Cohasset competitor runs into old friend after 26 miles of fun


AMELIA KUNHARDT/The Patriot Ledger
“Do you need anything?” Boston police officer Chris O’Sullivan asks Rich Kennedy as he finishes the marathon in 3:47:57. The race was the 23rd marathon for Kennedy, 48, a Cohasset resident and native of Quincy. O’Sullivan said he was thrilled to spot Kennedy in the crowd since the two men have known each other since Kennedy, a physical therapist, treated O’Sullivan, a former hockey player at Boston University, as a patient in the 1990s.

By John R. Johnson
For The Patriot Ledger
Posted Apr 22, 2008 @ 02:50 AM
Last update Apr 22, 2008 @ 02:59 AM

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BOSTON —
Rich Kennedy had a special guest waiting for him when he crossed the finish line at yesterday’s 112th running of the Boston Marathon. Chris O’Sullivan, a former NHL hockey player and now a Boston policeman, was on duty near the Copley Square finish line when he spotted his good friend and tracked him down to give him a congratulatory hug.

Kennedy and O’Sullivan share a common thread in that both have overcome physical ailments to excel in sports. Kennedy, who operates the well known Kennedy Brothers Physical Therapy with his brother Jake, was O’Sullivan’s therapist after he broke his neck playing hockey at Boston University in 1993. O’Sullivan, a South Boston native, recovered fully and won a national championship with BU in 1995. He left BU after his junior year and skated professionally for several seasons.

“Chris by all rights should have probably been paralyzed,” said Kennedy. “He recovered and went on to play at Calgary and Anaheim. He’s a hero. I barely had a second after coming across the finish line, when this big cop comes over and picks me up. It was a shock and just a great thing to see a familiar face.”

Yesterday, however, it was Kennedy who had to overcome a physical disorder. The 48-year-old was diagnosed with Lyme disease in late February, but rebounded from the poorest training regimen of his previous 22 marathons to post a time of 3:47:07. The former Quincy resident, who now lives in Cohasset, thrived off a spirited crowd that included 30 family members at mile 24, as well as his daughter, a Boston College student who waited for him at the top of Heartbreak Hill.

“I am not kidding you that I have not trained for this,” he said. “I’ve biked my tail off, but I have not been able to run because of knee and joint pain (from the Lyme disease). I did some four-hour sessions on the bike. That’s how much the marathon means to me.”

Kennedy was able to get in only three training runs since mid-January. However, that wasn’t evident yesterday. He averaged 8:40 splits for the race, cruising through the half marathon mark in Wellesley at 1:42:17. Despite finding out about the Lyme disease diagnosis less than two months ago, he never considered not running this year.

“That’s because it’s Boston,” he said. “I do two marathons a year, and one is always Boston.”

The lack of training may have slowed his time, but Kennedy’s desire to cross the Boylston Street finish line was driven by the death of his father and his brother, both of whom died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the charity so close to the heart of Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin. Kennedy is the founder and co-president of the Angel Fund, a charity formed to raise research money for ALS. He estimates they raised about $30,000 this year.

“My dad died of ALS, which is why I do this race as a fundraiser every year,” said Kennedy. “My brother Jimmy died of ALS seven years later. I carry them both on my shoulders every year. This is a race my Dad brought me to very early in life. I’m crazy about this race.”

When the going got tough along the way, which it did in spots yesterday as the temperature climbed over 50 degrees, Kennedy was inspired by the giant crowd.

“The weather is tough in that you train through a Boston winter and anything over 50 degrees can be tough to deal with,” said Kennedy, whose brother Jake also ran, finishing in 3:57:29, “but the crowd never stops. Everyone knows about the fan support at Wellesley and about BC, but there is a crowd the whole way. It’s not just for the leaders – it’s for everyone.”

But the biggest emotional lift came at the finish, where Kennedy got his unexpected greeting from O’Sullivan, who Kennedy helped out years ago.

“I saw him about a month ago and I didn’t know he was running,” said O’Sullivan. “I didn’t know he had Lyme disease. I saw him cross the finish line and wanted to track him down. He’s very mentally tough and just a very strong person.”

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