New Jersey man sets out on 224-mile run to Boston to honor marathon bombing victims

BOSTON, April 14 (UPI) -- A New Jersey man set off on Sunday to run 224 miles to Boston with the hope of arriving by Saturday before running the Boston Marathon -- another 26.2 miles -- on Monday.

Larry Grogin ran the Boston Marathon last year and was just about the cross the finish line when the first bomb exploded.

"It was incredible to be at the runner's high at the end of the marathon last year and suddenly the bottom fell out," Grogin told NJ.com. "It was such a horrible surprise and end to a wonderful and special day."

As of Sunday afternoon, Grogin and running partner John Renaldo had raised more than $200,000 for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp charity. "What I thought was a zany stunt has actually been inspiring for people," Grogin said.

During the marathon bombings last year, three people were killed and 264 others were injured.

Camp Hole in the Wall caters to children who are suffering from serious illnesses and was founded by Paul Newman in 1988. "Some of these kids have been robbed of their childhoods and thanks to Paul Newman's camp they're able to bring that back," Grogin said.

[NJ.com]