Forward Advantage’s Mark Valutkevich Runs the 2011 Boston Marathon

Mark Valutkevich is the Director of Product Management, Quality Assurance, and Marketing for Forward Advantage. This year, he ran his second Boston Marathon on behalf of The Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center in Hopkinton, MA which is both Mark’s hometown and the start of this historical race. “Growing up near the marathon route, my Mom used to take my family to see the runners go by each year. I think that might have been where I got the idea to run the marathon, although it took many years for that idea to become a reality,” says Mark. “The qualifying times are very strict, so I needed another option if I wanted to participate as an official runner. After some research, I chose The Respite Center, an organization devoted to supporting families with disabled children. I liked the fact that The Respite Center is a local charity, and I know several families who speak highly of its services.”

In 2010, Mark ran the course in 5:16:56. “That was my first marathon, and while I certainly put in the training miles, I went into the race with a lot of unknowns,” says Mark. “I was working for a different company at the time and was traveling at least 20 days out of the month, so I had to do most of the training on my own. I had a good race, but finished knowing that I could have done better.” Mark will tell you going into the race that it was a one-time, bucket list item. However, within weeks of finishing the race, Mark contacted The Respite Center and said he would gladly do it again in 2011. This year, he had a dedicated group of three other runners that he trained with. They refer to themselves as “The Conversationalists” for the variety of topics they discussed while on these lengthy runs, some of which exceeded 20 miles. The intense training with The Conversationalists paid off this year, as Mark shaved 1:30 off his pace time and completed the race in 4:41:08.

“The Boston Marathon represents a third of The Respite Center’s total fundraising and has brought in more than $365,000,” says Brandon Rhodes, marathon coordinator. “This is incredibly important, as family support has suffered large state budget cuts, and requests for our help have never been greater.” As a charity runner, Mark was required to raise $3,250. In 2010, he raised a little more than $4,000, all of it coming from private donations. This year, Mark raised more than $6,000 for The Respite Center. “Forward Advantage played a huge part in my fundraising,” continues Mark. “They provided me with a $3,250 donation right off the bat. Knowing that my minimum goal had been reached took off a lot of the pressure and allowed me to focus on my training.”

“If our employees are involved with a charity or organization that has a positive local and personal impact, we are more than happy to stand behind them and sponsor those activities,” says Chris Roggenstein, president and CEO of Forward Advantage.

Will Mark run again in 2012? “Training for a marathon is a big commitment, both for me personally and for my family,” continues Mark. “I wake up as early as 5 o’clock three to four mornings a week to get a run in before work and then do a long run each weekend. With a new addition to our family coming soon, I will need to evaluate if I can train properly and still spend quality time with my family. If I do choose to do the marathon again, I know that I will again run for an excellent cause and will have the backing of Forward Advantage.”