When he runs in the 128th Boston Marathon for the South Asian Circle of Hopkinton, Jeffrey Kreafle will be halfway to a personal goal. Kreafle, who became a marathoner when he turned 50, is working to complete the Abbott World Major Marathons. The international achievement honors runners who have finished six major marathons — Boston, Chicago, New York, Berlin, London and Tokyo. Kreafle already has run two majors, Chicago and Berlin.
Excited to be running his third major, he said, “I would never but for the generosity of SACH have the opportunity to do this. Running in Boston is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Founded in 2018, SACH helps connect Hopkinton’s South Asian population with the larger community, celebrates the region’s diverse cultures, advocates for civic involvement and provides a variety of support for individuals and families. Kreafle, who lives in the area of Washington, D.C., is chief executive of the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. He connected with SACH through a friend of a friend, Carol Bliss, manager of the Chilton Club in Boston and a fellow marathoner who will complete the Abbot Majors when she runs Tokyo.
Boston will be Kreafle’s second big race in just a few months. In November, he ran the JFK 50 Mile, the oldest ultramarathon in the United States. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy, who felt anyone in the military should be able to walk 50 miles in a day, the event gradually evolved into an ultramarathon encompassing terrain from the Appalachian Trail to the C&O Canal towpath.
Jeffrey Kreafle, shown following his run in the 2023 Berlin Marathon, is running the 128th Boston Marathon in April to support the South Asian Circle of Hopkinton.
“My running coach had me take off a month from training after the JFK,” said Kreafle. “It was hard to get back into it, but it was the right thing to do. I am now on track for Boston.”
Kreafle likes running ultramarathons, noting, “I am not a super-fast runner, so the longer distance of ultras is better for me.”
Relatively new to running, Kreafle made his marathon debut in Anchorage, Alaska, in 2021. Like many people busy with their careers and families, he had let his physical fitness slip. In 2019, his wife said her birthday wish was for him to be healthy. To fulfill her wish, Kreafle decided he needed to focus on improving his rest, diet and fitness. Feeling that enhancing the amount of sleep would be the easiest, he started there, concentrating on it for seven months. Next came focusing on his diet for seven months. The last step was fitness.
“It was hard. I started running a hundred yards and then had to walk,” he said. “The next day it was 200 yards. It took a long time to go one mile, then two. But the good news was it got a little better every day.”
He began to work toward running a marathon when he planned to visit Alaska, a lifelong dream, the 50th state for his 50th birthday in 2021.
“I decided to run a marathon while I was there” said Kreafle. “And to show her support, my wife signed up for the half-marathon. It created extra meaning for the trip.”
From there Kreafle never looked back. Although a man of many interests — he speaks about leadership and golf management nationally and internationally, and he helped create PGA Reach, the philanthropic arm of the PGA Foundation — he makes sure to continue training.
“My family has been very supportive, managing things so I can get up early to do my runs,” said a grateful Kreafle.
Looking forward to Boston, he wrote in a fundraising plea at the SACH website (southasiancircleofhopkinton.org), “I am fortunate to be involved with the two sports that play a critical role in worldwide philanthropy — golf and running! By opening this door into the Boston Marathon for me, SACH proves once again that their mission to bridge communities, celebrate diversity and advocate civic engagement is not just a hope, but a daily reality. Please support me in this effort to raise funds for SACH, so they can continue to not just open, but run through, doors of opportunity.”
0 Comments