Four friends will walk from South Portland, Maine, to Fenway Park to raise money for cancer research, just like their fathers did in 1973. Photo: Peter Wildes
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (WBZ NewsRadio) — Pete Wildes hasn't had a lot of walking experience over the last few decades — he joked that it's mostly been "...to the corner store to pick up an Italian and a six-pack of beer." But that's not stopping him and three lifelong friends in their quest to walk from South Portland to Fenway Park just as their fathers did almost 50 years ago.
Wildes said the 110-mile trek from Maine will begin at Sunset Park in South Portland and end at Fenway. Their fathers walked the same route back in 1973 to raise money for cancer research, and now their children, Wildes, Joe McHugh, Link Erskine, Denise Payette-Holmes, will do the same.
"They were a significant part of our lives, as fathers, as coaches, as mentors," said McHugh. The quartet's fathers taught them (and countless other boys and girls) about baseball, and coached at the little league field in South Portland.
Money raised by the trekkers will go toward the Jimmy Fund.
"We're doing it for them... mimicking what they did to raise funds for cancer, something that's touched all of us, means a lot to us...so we're really looking forward to it," McHugh said.
The group started out with a goal of raising $20,000, but has raked in $28,000 so far.
WBZ's Chris Fama (@CFamaWBZ) reports:
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