Compaq Is Running in the Boston Marathon
Teamwork: The Brothers DiSalvo
What Makes Marjorie Run?
This Couple Will Do Three Marathons in One Day
Bob Huntley: Marathon Man

Compaq Is Running in the Boston Marathon Compaq Computer Corporation, through its New England Initiative, is supporting this year's Boston Marathon in several ways: More than 75 New England Compaq employees will be participating in the race, 50 as runners and 25 as volunteers. Many of the runners are competing on behalf of New England charities. An AlphaServer™ 8400 donated by Compaq will power the results page of the Boston Athletic Association Web site, bringing detailed information about each runner quickly to the site. Compaq equipment will be up and running at virtually every Marathon location - in the operations center at the Copley Fairmont Hotel, in press registration areas, in press rooms, at the area where runners pick up numbers, at the EPSN broadcast booth downtown, at the finish-line kiosk, and even in medical tents. Compaq people are volunteering time and technical expertise to monitor the installation and operation at many equipment sites. Compaq equipment will be used to analyze and transmit data on every runner throughout the race, via small computer chips placed on runners' shoes. Compaq will sponsor television coverage of the race on WBZ-TV 4, and the company will also sponsor the "leader board," which posts the top runners on-screen throughout the race. Compaq technology is used to transmit data about every runner throughout the Marathon to race officials, to the pressroom, and to the finish-line information center. Tom Grilk, a Compaq attorney, will again serve as finish-line announcer, a service he has performed since 1979! Grilk is vice president of the Boston Athletic Association and a member of its Board of Governors.

Teamwork: The Brothers DiSalvo

"The National Kidney Foundation asked and we said, 'Sure!'" That's how brothers Rich and Phil DiSalvo of Compaq Nashua got involved running marathons. Veteran Boston Marathoners, the two Compaq engineers have become dedicated fundraisers.

They will be hitting the streets on behalf of the National Kidney Foundation on April 17, the 104th running of the world-famous road race, the Boston Marathon. The brothers hope to raise several thousand dollars this year. During the 100th Boston Marathon, the DiSalvos and their team raised more than $10,000 for the Foundation.

The partnership started four years ago when a friend asked if Rich, a runner since 1983 and a 27-marathon veteran, would run the Boston race on behalf of the Kidney Foundation. The organization wanted to raise awareness about the disease via the Marathon. Brother Phil, who ran his first marathon in 1988 alongside his brother for the entire 26 miles, willingly volunteered, too.

The DiSalvo brothers, who now work together on the same project in the same Compaq group in Nashua, are committed to running for the Foundation. "I'd run the race anyway, but it's nice to think that I can do some good, too," said Rich. "The idea of doing something for somebody else also makes the preparation leading up to the marathon fun."

"Running for a great organization also gives me an extra bit of incentive for training," added Phil, who admits he did his first marathon simply because he was intrigued by the idea of completing the event.

In addition to running, the DiSalvos are frequent spokespersons at area schools. "The race is exciting, but so is doing good," said Phil.

What Makes Marjorie Run?

Marjorie Morse of Compaq Nashua lost her father to cancer in 1989 and has been running to raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute ever since. Her New Hampshire-based team raised $1.5 million last year, and Marjorie plans to raise $5,000 alone this year. This will be her 6th marathon for the cause, her 9th Boston Marathon, and her 11th marathon attempt.

"I love running for a long time at a slow pace," said Marjorie. "At first the marathon was just a goal and one that seemed unreachable," she said. "But I did it and I felt fine. Well, I was in pain, but I was hooked."

The Dana Farber connection increased Marjorie's enjoyment of the annual accomplishment. "I always wanted to raise money for cancer, so there was another reason to run and to participate in the yearly adventure of training," she said. "I have to train for three to four months in the winter, and I have asthma, so it affects my winter training schedule."

This Couple Will Do Three Marathons in One Day

Mary Nawn of Compaq Nashua and her husband are running to raise money and awareness for the cure of Parkinson's disease. The money they raise goes to Boston University Medical Center's Parkinson's Research Group. Mary's father has suffered from the disease for 17 years.

Although, like the rest of the runners, Mary will leave for Boston at noon, her husband and running companion Bill Nawn, will already have run the route - backwards. Some three hours before the pack leaves the official start point, he will do a separate run, starting from the finish line in Boston's Copley Square and ending at the start in Hopkinton. When he arrives, the couple plans to make the return trip together, a total of three marathons in a single day for the two of them.

Mary, a four-time marathoner, expects that the trip back to the finish line will take a little bit less than four hours and will be relatively relaxed. "We plan to visit with people along the way," she said with a smile.

Actor/director Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's, is supporting the Nawns.

Bob Huntley: Marathon Man

With four Boston Marathons behind him, Bob Huntley of Compaq Nashua remains excited about competing in the legendary annual event on behalf of the Arthritis Foundation.

"For 15 years I was there on Marathon day, just watching the runners," said Bob, a Massachusetts native and runner for more than 20 years. "I really didn't think I was good enough to qualify."

In 1996 as the race celebrated its centennial anniversary, however, the situation changed. Organizers arranged a special lottery for runners who might not otherwise qualify for the race. Bob was one of 5,000 picked on the first round. "I was hooked," he added with a smile. "I ran in April and felt fine after. Then I did another marathon in the fall, qualified for Boston, and just stayed with it."

At the same time, Bob signed on to run for the Arthritis Foundation, a decision he is delighted with. "It makes me feel better helping someone else," said Bob, who raises more than $2,000 personally. The 35-member Arthritis Foundation team usually brings in well over $80,000.

Enthusiasm and experience aside, Bob confesses to bouts of nervousness as race day draws near. "I've been with the Arthritis Foundation training program for years and the training is the same from year to year," he said. "But so is the anxiety about the race. Running for a good cause is what makes the anxiety easier to handle."