Twenty-two years in, and Jackie is still captaining a team of walkers who gather every October - albeit virtually during the height of COVID - to log a half-marathon of mileage as part of the annual Jimmy Fund Walk to raise money to support Dana Farber's never-ending battle against cancer.
Jack and her sister Annie started these walks in 2003, and with her sister's passing in 2016 from the insidious disease, Jack firmly took on the sole mantle of team captain and has been leading Annie's Army from Wellesley to Boston every year along the vaunted Boston Marathon course.
The ranks have swelled with every passing year, and THIS year had a spectacular new participant - Graham, who, at five months old, is our youngest recruit ever, even he can't technically walk the miles on his own.
Luckily the rest of the army was ready to step up and soldier him through.
The logistics involved with getting a team of 16 across the finish line is intricate. But needless to say, more than two decades of participating has provided us with plenty of blueprints to execute an effective game play for everyone, regardless of the distances or fitness levels.
At the start, in Wellesley, on this picture-perfect cloudless day where temps hit the 80s, everyone is still looking fresh. That will change ere long.
Bravo to this pack of stalwarts who plowed though Wellesley and Newton while the rest of us were getting the other puzzle pieces in place.
And here he is, Graham Fandl, logging his first - but undoubtedly not his last - half-marathon.
As I said above, it takes an army.
And Grammy is all too happy to do her part in helping Graham through the wilds of Wellesley.
Next up is Uncle Andrew, who, bedecked with a very fashionable papoose, helps get his godson to the Newton Fire Station to prepare for the hills ahead.
Meanwhile, the next batch of walkers is already hitting the hills of Newton - welcome aboard Don, Cindy, Cheryl and Joshua!
On the second of hills - no, Katie this wasn't Heartbreak Hill yet, Auntie Kaykay taps in for Graham's next bottle. Because as any walker knows, proper hydration during a half marathon is critical.
I've lost track of how many miles this mother-daughter tandem have logged, but Jackie and Heather have managed them all with smiles on their faces all along.
Katie is all smiles because she knows the top of Heartbreak Hill lies just ahead. Maybe, Katie.
Yeah, it was getting warm out there, but this group is still energized
Scott, fresh off running seven miles out from the finish after parking in Boston, joined his wife Sue and Jack to crest the last of the hills - the granddaddy of them all, Heartbreak.
As a veteran of many Boston Marathons, this was absolutely the first time Andrew took Heartbreak Hill pushing a baby carriage. Probably his favorite time up the hill, too, pushing his nephew.
Then, fresh off his breakfast in Boston, Ryan - another of our wheels home heroes - joined the Army at Cleveland Circle for the stretch through he and Heather's old stomping grounds.
Welcome also to Annie's husband John, her son, Johnny, and Johnny's partner-in-crime Meghan.
Props to Andrew for the mad Brookline group selfie
Cause, cousins
They've been hitting the same pose just about every year since they started doing this walk, heading into Kenmore Square and its iconic CITGO sign.
Graham is still all smiles heading into the final mile - and why not? Dad's carrying him to the finish line!
Boston Strong indeed.
Our captain is ready to lead us across the much-anticipated finish line.
A well-deserved high-five
Frame it for this warrior survivor and her hubbie
All smiles for Graham, mom, and dad. Well, two out of three on the smiles front.
Thankfully, there were benches and shade to be found on the Boston Common to allow everyone time to rehydrate from the scorching trek.
And fret not - as regular readers of this blog and our annual excursions to the Jimmy Fund walk know - Andrew somehow managed to find a snackerel or two on the Boston Common.
And you were worried he was going to starve after such an intensive workout.
It's truly an honor to walk with these family members and friends every year, and God bless Jackie for still leading the charge.
Not gonna lie, walking this year with our grandson for the first time ever presented an indescribable honor and blessing that's hard to reduce to writing. He's a treasure, and conquering this course with Graham is a core memory I'll never forget.
So a shoutout to all of this year's participants, as well as those who supported Annie's Army with financial donations in recent days.
As long as we're able, we'll continue to pound the pavement every October for this incredibly important fund-raising cause.
Most of you probably know someone who's been impacted in some form or another by this disease, and the warrior numbers continue to mount.
This year, there's a new warrior in the trenches - you know who you are. We were out there walking for you, too, as you begin your journey beating the disease which recently turned things sorta upside-down for you.
We're out there for you, for survivors like Katie and Jackie, and for the warriors who blazed the path for Annie's Army to muster every October.
God willing, we'll continue doing this every year that we're able.
Take care of one another.
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