Staten Island Native Anthony Simonetti (MBA ’21) is running the 2020 Boston Marathon as a St. Jude Hero with a goal of raising $20,000.
When he’s not escaping IIT Bombay as an alleged international terrorist, living with 15 random strangers in a foreign country, or teaching Fluid Mechanics to the students at CUNY, Anthony Simonetti runs. Hailing from Staten Island, New York, Simonetti is an RC student in Section C and a Cooper Union alum. Last year, he jokingly signed up for the NYC Marathon as a charity runner for Building Bridges Worldwide. His training was plagued by a series of unfortunate events: having a 15-pound bowling ball drunkenly dropped on his toe, slicing his shin on a metal guardrail, and fracturing his tailbone sliding into home plate just a short two weeks before the race. His longest run prior to the marathon was only 13.1 miles, but on race day, with hair tied back and an apple in each pocket, Simonetti hit the pavement with a sense of grit and determination. Now, he’s ready to do it again, and this time the run hits even closer to home.
When Simonetti was five, his sister was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The tumor she had was located on her foot, but the type of cancer was specific to the back. Earlier this year, the reality of this awful disease revisited him when doctors identified a suspicious growth on his back. Fortunately, the tumor was benign, but the memories of his sister’s struggle with cancer were more prominent than ever. With this inspiration and the fact that St. Jude’s was his late aunt’s favorite charity, Simonetti was determined to run as a Hero, and this April, he’ll do just that.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital selects 10 runners each year based on passion for the cause, athletic ability, and commitment to fundraising. After becoming a Hero, Simonetti noted, “If I’m running for a cause, I’m not going to stop. Running isn’t my passion, but I’m not going to quit. It’s about giving back for the kids … I care about the organization.”
Though his training schedule should be his top priority, the $20,000 pledge to St. Jude’s is where Simonetti is spending most of his time. To date, he’s raised just over $3,600 towards the cause, but now he needs your help. Simonetti believes, with the help of HBS, he can break the Hero record of $35,191. His request to every HBS student is simple: donate $20.21 to St. Jude’s via this link: shorturl.at/aqrA0 by February 14 (he’s a romantic at heart).
To learn more about his cause, or hear more about his various injuries, contact Anthony at asimonetti@mba2021.hbs.edu.
Heather Jackson (MBA ’21) is an RC student in Section C, a Vanderbilt alum, and a self-proclaimed Burger Queen.
