He’s running the Boston Marathon as a ‘pinch runner’

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. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for Boston.com’s pop-up Boston Marathon newsletter.

Name: John Pitzel
Age: 62
From: Lee’s Summit, Missouri

I’m running this year’s marathon for someone who can’t run for someone – a pinch runner, if you’d like. Kris Murner has run Boston for her son, Eli, as a part of Team Eye and Ear in the past.  Kris is working through an injury and can’t run this year.  She put the word out on a Facebook group we are both a part of, I messaged with her, and here I am, running my first Boston Marathon in 2025. 

Eli has a genetic condition, Stargardt Disease, also known as juvenile macular dystrophy, which affects a person’s central vision. There is no current cure, but Eli is part of a genetic trial funded by Team Eye and Ear proceeds to find a treatment, and hopefully, eventually, a cure.

I’ve never met, or even talked with, Kris or Eli (I’m hoping to change this in the next couple of months), and all of our communication has been by email and text – I don’t even know what she sounds like when she talks. This will be my first Boston Marathon, and I’m very happy to do it for this excellent cause. This is one of the unsung positive things about social media – people helping people out of the goodness of their hearts and a desire to do good in the world.

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