A running joke? Not to Ferrell

By Reid Laymance, Globe Staff, 4/18/2003

Will Ferrell, famous for Saturday nights in New York, will be joining the field for Monday afternoon's race in Boston.

Ferrell, known for his work on "Saturday Night Live," and his wife, Viveca, will race in their third major marathon.

The Ferrells ran the 2001 New York Marathon and both finished in 5:01:56. Last June, they ran the Stockholm Marathon and finished in 4:28:02. Will ran a 1:45:02 half-marathon in November.

Ferrell has been training under coach Gary Kobat and has lost 25 pounds. The actor recently told Runner's World that his hard work has certainly paid off. "Whenever I see an old friend or cast member, they say 'Wow, you look great.' And I feel great, too. I have more energy, and I've found that my increased fitness makes me feel better about myself in an overall sense."

Milestone afoot

Keizo Yamada, 75, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his 1953 victory by running in this year's race. Yamada, who became the second Japanese winner in Boston, has run here every year since 1995 and was first in the 70-and-older division from 1998-2001 . . . Monday's forecast calls for a cloudy day with temperatures around 50 for the start in Hopkinton with the high expected to be no more than 55 when the runners reach Boston . . . The race has become an outlet for charities to raise money. A few examples from this year's edition: Joel Davis, a former Gillette executive who lost his eyesight to retinitis pigmentosa, will run his first marathon at age 57 to help raise money for the Foundation Fighting Blindness. So far he has raised more than $25,000; Brittany Cass, Jocelyn Kraus, Susan MacDonald, and Anne Maxwell are entered to raise money for the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation. Bavis, a former Boston University hockey player and scout for the Los Angeles Kings, died during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; Scott Toner is running Boston for the second year in a row to raise money for the American Cancer Society. He raised $12,000 last year. Toner, who has cancer, is undergoing an experimental treatment called endostation, and one of its side effects is increased energy. So he runs; Claudia Williams, daughter of Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams, is running to honor her late father and raise money for the Jimmy Fund. She will wear a shirt reading "Remember 9 -- I love you dad." . . . The Runner's Lounge at Niketown opens today at 10 a.m. at the corner of Newbury and Exeter. Runners can visit through Tuesday and get advice on shoes, tactics, or get a postrace massage . . . Adidas and Runner's World will host a series of seminars tomorrow and Sunday at the Running Expo at the Hynes Convention Center. Two-time Boston champion Johnny Kelley will speak tomorrow at 3 p.m., and nine-time New York champion Grete Waitz will talk Sunday at noon. Speaking of Kelley, a bobblehead doll of the Boston legend was unveiled yesterday at the "Cheers to the Marathon" party at Hampshire House.

This story ran on page F8 of the Boston Globe on 4/18/2003.
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