Sean Astin Will Run The Boston Marathon For Bombing Victim Martin Richard

Rudy and Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin will be running in this year’s Boston Marathon as part of Team MR8. The charity team honors the only child victim of the Boston Marathon bombing, Martin Richard.

Richard was killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Astin decided to join the team after meeting the marathon’s director in Florida, though he admits the whole endeavor is overwhelming:

“I’m a runner. I’ve started a lot races. But I think it will feel like I’m hallucinating, because you’ve had something in your mind for so long and you know what those colors represent, the Boston Strong colors, to know that that family…It’s a little intimidating actually. I’m still gonna be me, I’m still gonna put one foot in front of the other, but I think I’ll feel a sense of responsibility to run strong,” Astin said.

“I’m incredibly proud and incredibly grateful to be allowed to be part of a team, to be a part of a community that’s meant so much to me, kind of from afar. Boston has meant something to me as a runner. And now, to be a part of the community in a way, I never expected to run the Boston Marathon,” he said.

Astin has participated in many running events in the past. He has run in nine marathons, including Run Disney and the Los Angeles Marathon. This year’s Boston Marathon will be his tenth marathon.

He shared a picture of his Team MR8 jersey on Twitter, giving a proud smile with the caption, “Look what came in the mail. Been a long time since I earned my way onto an athletic team.”

Source: 7News Boston