By Charles Frost
Staff writer
March 21, 2008 07:42 am Some people run the Boston Marathon for the joy of cresting Heartbreak Hill and coasting to the finish line in Copley Square. Others run it to prove they can complete one of the most grueling physical tasks in the world. And then there is Guillaume Buell, who will be running this year's marathon to remember his uncle, Francois Gerin, who died of cancer two years ago. The 24-year-old Buell, who attends Boston College Law School, will carry a photograph of his uncle in his pocket during the race. "He is my role model in life," Buell said. "I aspire to a career in politics one day, and my uncle was a member of the Canadian parliament that founded the Quebec Separatist Party. His political courage and bravery have always been a guiding light for me." Buell's running career began when he was a sophomore at Pentucket Regional High School, where he ran cross country for three years. Last year, he signed up for his first Boston Marathon, determined to prove to himself that he could complete it. Now, he has another goal. "This year, I thought I would put my skills to use for charity," he said. He will be running next month's marathon to raise money for the SHADE Foundation of America, which works to educate children and the community about the prevention and detection of skin cancer. Having served for six years on the Pentucket School Committee, Buell said running for the SHADE foundation was a no-brainer. "This is a nice way for me to tie in several things important to me," he said. "Running, the education of children and doing it for a charity in memory of my uncle. It's a perfect blending of everything important to me." As one of the 12 members of the SHADE marathon team, Buell's goal is to raise at least $3,500 to donate to the charity. He's about one-third of the way to his goal, having raised a little more than $1,000. He's also got a more personal goal as well — to beat his 2007 course time of four hours and 20 minutes. This year, he hopes to cross the finish line in under four hours. Buell said his uncle likely would have been proud to know that he was able to finish his first marathon in a little over four hours. But he suspects his uncle also might have poked fun at him. "Given his sense of humor, he would have told me last year that I should have tried a little harder and run it in under four hours," Buell said. Buell runs year-round as a natural way to relax and stay in shape. But since December, he has been focused on training harder for the marathon. He trains five to six days a week, running between five and 15 miles a day. He said his favorite things about running the Boston Marathon are the crowd and the thrill of knowing what he is accomplishing. "Taking my experience from last year, it's just one mile at a time," he said. "Then you're there at the end and you've done the Boston Marathon. There's no magic way to get to the end." He added, "It's definitely a test of my endurance. When you're running the marathon, you're in the moment; you don't realize four hours are passing by. I'm running the marathon with a good friend from law school; it's just like hanging out with him for four hours. You're just trying to have a good time, at the same time." nnn To support Guillaume Buell, who is running next month's Boston Marathon to benefit the SHADE Foundation of America, visit his marathon team's Web site at www.active.com/donate/shadebostonteam2008/buell.
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