Woburn Resident Running Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab

Woburn resident Kate Caruso will not only run the Boston Marathon for herself, but to give back to an organization that helped Boston Marathon survivors get back on their feet last year.

Caruso is running for Spaulding Rehab's Race for Rehab team and she is holding a fundraiser at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 1 at the Tanner Tavern, 474 Main St. 

Cover band Third Stone will perform at the benefit and Caruso has plenty of raffle prizes. 

Caruso said she’s honored to have been chosen for Team Spaulding this year. 

“The Boston Marathon has become not only one of my greatest accomplishments, but also one of my most beloved traditions. For the sixth year in a row on Patriots Day, I will toe what many, including myself, believe to be the greatest starting line in the world. And although every year has been exceptional to me, 2014 will be the most important.

“After the tragedies that took place last Marathon Monday I knew I had to run Boston again, but this time I had to run it for something larger than myself. I honestly can’t think of another organization more fitting and more deserved than Spaulding Rehab,” she said.

Spaulding opened its new facility in the Charlestown Navy Yard two weeks after last year’s marathon. The facility took in 32 inpatients, including 15 amputees who needed to learn to walk on prosthetic limbs.

“Spaulding’s mantra, Find Your Strength, has never been more appropriate. Spaulding was there to help the survivors find their strength, and will be there for every patient who needs them in the future,” said Caruso.

Caruso spends her Saturdays running 20 miles and ends her workdays with runs in the rain, snow and frigid temperatures, but she knows all the training will be worth it when she finishes the marathon in April.

“I know that all of my hard work will be worth it in the end when I cross the most iconic of finish lines on Boylston Street. I will have found my strength and represented Boston, OUR city, to the fullest,” she said.

You can donate on Caruso’s fundraising page here.