#RunningForResearch 2020 Boston Marathon Team Selected

Posted:Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Massage Therapy Foundation Selects Running Team for 2020 Boston Marathon

(Evanston, Ill., February 3, 2020) The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) announces its 2020 Boston Marathon Team MTF—Running for Research team members: Shari Aldrich, Kelly Cartus, Monika Hill, and Oliver Layco. This is the Foundation’s eighth consecutive year participating in the John Hancock Non-Profit Marathon Program. The event will take place on April 20th, 2020.

Shari Aldrich, Tumwater, Wash., is a Washington State Licensed Massage Therapist and owner of the Bodymechanics School of Myotherapy & Massage, Tumwater, Wash., where she is a massage therapy educator. She has run three marathons to date.

Kelly Cartus, Williamsville, N.Y., is a New York State and Nationally Board Certified Licensed Massage Therapist. She is certified in Sports Massage, SportStretch USA and a massage educator at New York Institute of Massage, Buffalo, N.Y.

Monika Hill, Phoenixville, Pa., is an athlete who has used massage therapy for 20 years to help maintain her body for endurance sports. She has run three standalone marathons and thirteen full marathons within Ironman triathlons.

Oliver Layco, Sacramento, Calif., is a Certified Massage Therapist in California and Neuromuscular Therapist with previous experience as an emergency medical technician. He has run ten marathons to date.

Team MTF – Running for Research will be raising money and creating awareness for the Massage Therapy Foundation. Over the past seven years this program has raised a total of $392,980 for the Foundation. Last year, the MTF Running for Research Team raised $66,163. “This fundraiser has been such an impactful way to raise awareness of the wide-ranging benefits of therapeutic massage and the need for research in this field. MTF is deeply honored to be a part of this prestigious event,” says MTF President Douglas Nelson, LMT, BCTMB.

The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) is the Premier Sponsor of Team MTF—Running for Research for an eighth consecutive year. “AMTA believes research is a cornerstone of the profession and is proud to support those ‘Running for Research’ for the Massage Therapy Foundation,” says AMTA President Christopher Deery, LMT, BCTMB.

For 35 years, John Hancock has been the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon®. Each year John Hancock donates guaranteed running spots in the prestigious Boston Marathon to select nonprofits in order to raise money for their causes. The Massage Therapy Foundation Is proud to be an official Partner of John Hancock in the Marathon Non-Profit Program. The Non-Profit Program provides over 1,000 Boston Marathon bibs to select non-profit organizations

throughout the community, which provides organizations with a significant fundraising opportunity. Last year, John Hancock Non-Profit Runners raised over $13.1M for their causes.

About the Massage Therapy Foundation

The Massage Therapy Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity supporting scientific research, education, and community service for the massage therapy profession. The Foundation founded and publishes an open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal and provideseducational resources for massage therapists, educators, and students. MTF is an independent organization that promotes international scientific and technical collaboration through grants, resources, training, and services.

For more information contact:
Gini Ohlson, Executive Director, 847.905.1520
gohlson@massagetherapyfoundation.org or
Marla Gamze, Communications and Development Manager, 847.905.1635
mgamze@massagetherapyfoundation.org