Every April in the vibrant sports-centric city of Boston, dreams of athletes come true when they cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon. This year, a Special Olympics Massachusetts athlete will be one of the 25,000 marathoners to achieve this feat.

To run the prestigious Boston Marathon, one either needs to meet the requirements to qualify for the race or must fundraise and meet the minimum fundraising requirement for charity.

Peter Kline, a Merrill Wealth Management Advisor at Bank of America, ran his first Boston Marathon many years ago raising money for cancer research. That experience of running for a cause sparked a new passion within Peter to not just run but run with a purpose.

In 2012 he ran as a duo team with a rider-athlete who has cerebral palsy and worked with her to complete the Rock n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon. He then went on to form “Marathons With Meaning” to make running more accessible for individuals with disabilities.

Peter has since run over 100 marathons – more than 60 have been completed with rider athletes, many of them being Special Olympics athletes.

This year Peter will be participating as a duo team with Yousef, a senior at Natick High School and a Special Olympics Massachusetts athlete-rider as his teammate.

When Special Olympics Massachusetts was approached with the opportunity to have an athlete over 18 in a wheelchair, who would be interested running the marathon, Yousef was the first to come to mind for Special Olympics MA VP of Schools and Community Development, Patti Doherty.

“I reached out to Coach DiAntonio from Natick and asked if he thought Yousef might be interested,” Patti said. “He went and spoke with him, and Yousef was very interested. We hopped on a call with his family to share the opportunity and answer questions and he was IN!”

Yousef’s family is originally from Egypt. At 6 years old, he and his parents moved to America. Along with his parents Yousef has a younger brother (8) and sister (5) that all share excitement for Yousef and this opportunity!

Yousef is no stranger to the world of athletics. He has participated in Natick High School’s Unified Track and Field program as well as the Strength and Conditioning program. Becoming a Marathon medalist will just be another accolade Yousef can add to his already impressive resume!

Along with the experience to participate as a duo team in the Boston Marathon with Peter, this journey has also brought Yousef a new sense of fame and recognition.

In February, Yousef and his family were flown down to Atlanta to participate in a media day for Bank of America. The weekend consisted of shooting a commercial, a radio spot and photos that highlight Peter and Yousef running together and promoting Peter’s fundraising for Special Olympics Massachusetts.

The commercial has since aired and played during a commercial slot for the Academy Awards. There are also billboards with Yousef and Peter’s smiling faces shown throughout Boston, and Yousef was even asked to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park at the Red Sox Game the Saturday before Marathon Monday.

While all of these honors are exciting, one of the best moments may have been at Natick High school when an assembly was held in early March. At the assembly, it was announced that Yousef would be running the marathon as a duo-team rider and the gym exploded with excitement from his peers—a moment Yousef will surely never forget.

Although Yousef is not one to show his emotions, he has expressed that he is “freaking out over all of this!”

Keep an eye out for Yousef and Peter on the course this Patriot’s Day and be sure to cheer them on, as well as the rest of the Xtra Mile team running to support Special Olympics Massachusetts this year.

‍