Shared Experiences

A Boston College student and her alumna mother have taken a similar route to recovery from health issues

BY MEGHAN KEEFE SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Woods College of Advancing Studies graduate student Ruth Anne McManus

’23 may be a self-proclaimed “back-of-thepack” kind of runner, but there’s nothing lagging in her passion for advocacy or knack for fundraising.

McManus launched her first charitablegiving campaign last year when she raised

$8,000 for Boston non-profit Victory Programs Inc. and its ReVision Urban Farm, which creates access to farm-fresh food for communities struggling to obtain quality produce. She first started volunteering for the program in 2019 and was drawn to its mission. As a testament to all the hard work she had devoted to its cause over the years, Victory Programs asked McManus to spearhead their Friends Feeding Friends campaign in 2021. In order to bring in such a large sum for the program, she decided to run the 2022 Providence Half Marathon in Victory’s name.

This year, McManus has taken her ambitions up a notch: She’s set a goal of running three half-marathons by the end of this year, including the Providence Half Marathon next month, and raising $10,000 for Victory Programs.

Boston College students were out in force at the “Mile 21” cheering section on Marathon Monday to lend encouragement to runners in the Boston Marathon. Other campus activities that day included a “Fastest Eagle” 50-yard dash, a HIIT (high intensity interval training) class, and a concert featuring Flo Rida.