Pierce Middle School students will gather with others in the school auditorium Wednesday April 9th at 9am for the premiere of the much anticipated marathon anthem I Will Run Again. Students from the school just finished recording the music video two weeks ago. Their classmates will be there to cheer them on as they see the fruit of their labor for the very first time. The music video is part of The Run Again Project, a letter writing campaign from school children to the runners of the 118th Boston Marathon. The song is a motivational tribute to the runners composed by Kathleen Ready of Westwood. Right after the premiere the song will be made available as a free download at The Run Again Project web site.
Letters are pouring in to the project and are being reviewed, scanned and posted on the project web site. Many of the letters describe some of the obstacles the children have faced in their lives and what they are doing to “run again”. One fourth grader wrote, “You can run more miles than a Cheetah on a sugar high”. A senior describes the fear of going back to lifeguarding after saving a child last summer but being unable to save the child’s grandfather after he suffered a heart attack in the water next to her. These letters and many more are available on line for the general public and runners to view.
With the tragic events of last year’s marathon imbedded in the thoughts of many, it is the hope of project organizers that they can take some of the attention away from the images of the disaster last year and place it back on the runners. These are the people, despite all odds, who are helping Boston and beyond, “run again”.
Here is a brief video of the students rehearsing the song.