Her late father asked her to run the Boston Marathon. She’s honoring his request.

Boston Marathon

“This April, I will honor his request—giving back to the place that gave us more time, more hope, and more love than we could have ever asked for.”

By Annie Jonas

March 15, 2025 | 5:00 AM

1 minute to read

In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston.

Name: Sara Steinberg
Age: 43
From: Needham

I am running the Boston Marathon for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge in memory of my father, Bill, who was treated there with extraordinary care and compassion.

My father was diagnosed with large B-cell lymphoma, a cancer that is often curable. He endured setbacks and complications, and despite his resilience, he passed away last July.

Dana-Farber’s care extended far beyond medicine. After his passing, his team, led by Dr. Armand, sent a handwritten letter – a gesture that deeply moved our family.

“Bill was an extraordinary man,” Dr. Armand wrote. “He had a shining intelligence and deep courage; he fought very hard against increasingly long odds, and yet knew when the time had come to stop fighting and enjoy the view of the water and the love which he so obviously had for you, and you just as obviously had for him…He was always graceful, kind, and patient with [his team]; it struck me several times in clinic how, regardless of how bad the news was and became, he always found a way… to show, in all humility, that he cared about others at least as much as he cared about himself. Paired with this radiant kindness, he was incredibly generous with his time and his life, always willing to participate in trials, which I know he did in large part to help others.”

One year ago, my dad called me mid-run and asked me to run Boston to support Dana-Farber. This April, I will honor his request—giving back to the place that gave us more time, more hope, and more love than we could have ever asked for.

Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.

Annie Jonas is a Community writer at Boston.com. She was previously a local editor at Patch and a freelancer at the Financial Times.