Peabody Police Officer To Run Boston Marathon

PEABODY, MA – Peabody Police Sgt. James Harkins was sitting outside a funeral he had escorted in a police car when he realized he wanted to do more to give back to the community.

The funeral was for a young girl who died of cancer, around the same age as Harkins' daughters, and he saw firsthand how Cops For Kids With Cancer helped the family. He decided then that if he was going to run the Boston Marathon, it was going to be for that organization.

"I was sitting there thinking, 'there's got to be something else I can do,'" said Harkins.

Harkins is not a runner: He didn't run track in high school or college, after didn't run after leaving the police academy. But a few years ago, he took it up again for the sake of fitness. Training for his first marathon has been going well with the advice of some of the runners in the Peabody Police Station.

"I’m there, I’m getting to the point where if I can get to 18, 20 [miles], willpower can get me to the last 6.2," Harkins said of his training.

While running wasn't always an interest, Harkins always wanted to run the Boston Marathon. The fundraising piece was intimidating – he has to raise $10,000 for Cops For Kids With Cancer – but as he got older he understood the emotion of the marathon better.

"You see the joy in people’s faces as they cross the finish line, hugging their loved ones," said Harkins. "I’ve always had an interest in it."

Harkins said he's a little nervous about the race, but is feeling confident that he'll finish.

"Even if I have to crawl across the finish line I’m going to make it across," Harkins joked.

Click here to donate to Harkins' team.

Image via Dan Libon, Patch Staff; James Harkins