ICYMI: Waltham Teacher's Legacy Lives on at the Boston Marathon

WALTHAM, MA – Abigail Berman met Steve Kanode and his wife, Amanda, four years ago while working in the Newton public school system. She had an "instant connection" with Amanda, and when she began teaching at Stanley Elementary School, Steve took her under his wing.

"He was this big teddy bear at the school," Berman said. "He had a presence there, which is hard for teachers in administration to do on a regular basis. All the kids knew who he was."

Whether it was being outside at recess, playing basketball, or – his personal favorite – participating in the annual fifth grade-teacher volleyball game, Steve Kanode was there, Berman said. That presence will continue at the Boston Marathon this year, when Berman runs the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Back Bay in his memory.

The beloved assistant principal died in January after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 37.

>>>Click here to donate to Abigail Berman's fundraising page.

Berman, running her third Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber, first approached the Kanodes about running in Steve's name back in September.

"Steve had created this tagline for him and his friends – 'Kanode's Krew,'" Berman said. "So we're trying to keep the 'Kanode's Krew' theme alive." Berman and fellow third grade teacher Kimberly Cox will don shirts that say "Kanode's Krew" this year to continue his legacy.

But "Kanode's Krew" isn't restricted to those running the marathon – Berman said the undertaking was made possible by the Stanley community, which recently raised $850 for Dana-Farber through a fundraiser in Steve's memory. And even though she lives in Medford, Waltham is Berman's home.

"I'll have the headphones in and be doing the running, but the fundraising and anticipation is a team sport," she said. "You need the community to back you up. My community is Waltham."

First Photo: Kanode family (via GoFundMe)

Second Photo: Abigail Berman (courtesy photo)

Story originally published April 3.