Bradley French is a modern renaissance man. He’s a fourth-year behavioral neuroscience major on the pre-medical school track, member of the Phi Delta Epsilon fraternity, Huntington 100 inductee, Nu Rho Psi Honors Society member and an undergraduate teaching fellow. French is also on the Northeastern club hockey team and has two clinical co-op experiences under his belt. One would think that would be enough.
But on top of it all, French has been training to run the Boston Marathon April 21.
“Since freshman year, I knew that I wanted to run the Boston Marathon,” French said. “I just wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to do it.”
French has only run one other marathon — the Maine Marathon in October 2024. It didn’t give him the chance to qualify with a time, nor did he have a history of elite running to guarantee his entry or the funds to buy his way in.
During his second co-op as a clinical assistant in the Boston Children’s Hospital emergency department, French had an idea.
“I loved my time there. I got to see the real impact that we have on people and how good clinical care can really make a difference if you’re compassionate,” French said. “When I learned that you can do [the Boston Marathon] by raising money for a charity that you’re passionate about, it seemed like a perfect opportunity.”
French’s time as the philanthropy chair of his fraternity sparked a passion for charity work as strong as his passion for running. There, he and his fraternity brothers raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network, an organization that partners with Boston Children’s Hospital. At his co-op, he saw the tangible results of the charity work, so his choice to raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital through running was a perfect match.
“I get to do some good and raise money for a cause that I really care about at a place that I can actually see the good I’m doing,” French said. “I also can achieve a personal goal of running the Boston Marathon and live that dream out as well, so it was just perfect, the way that it worked out.”
As of April 20, French has raised $12,777.40, surpassing his goal of $12,000. There was no shortage of support for French’s marathon dreams; aside from those who contributed to his donation page, his parents and four siblings were thrilled to cheer him on and jumped at the chance to help him raise funds.
“They were very helpful with helping me reach out to people and raise the money. I really couldn’t have done it without them,” French said.
French also has plenty of support in planning how to run the marathon itself. His high school track coach, Jim Farrell, is a four-time Boston Marathon veteran who has continued to give French running advice. French’s minor in nutrition at Northeastern also prepared him physically, even when it meant finishing a final exam for a nutrition class April 17, the Thursday before the race, and going right back to training after.
“Especially this semester, I’ve learned a lot more through my human nutrition class and a few other nutrition classes about what to do for best performance,” French said. “I’ve studied nutrition for exercising and competing, and that’s been very helpful.”
After this year’s marathon, French plans to hunker down in preparation for the Medical College Admission Test in August. In the future, he hopes to run more marathons in partnership with Miles for Miracles, a charity that partners with Boston Children’s Hospital as well as hospitals in major cities around the world that have their own annual marathons, including London and New York.
Through it all, French said he looks forward to what will be a meaningful experience of Boston culture and achievement in running.
“It means a lot. I came to Boston as a freshman when I was 18 and I knew about the Boston Marathon before, but once I got here, I really saw how much the city embraces it,” French said.
French and his friends attended the marathon each year as spectators. For him, attending as a competitor will be a fulfilling full-circle moment.
“I was so happy for all the people running, but I was also a little bit jealous. I was like, ‘I wanna do that, that looks awesome.’ I didn’t think I would ever have the opportunity to do it,” French said. “I’m very thankful that I do, and I’m so excited.”
