On April 16, Boston held its 122nd annual marathon. The conditions were horrible, with headwinds of 10 miles per hour and temperature in the thirties. The lethal combination of freezing rain and biting cold forced more than one hopeful marathoner to throw in the towel and avoid hypothermic conditions. But Cullen Clougherty knew he had to finish this marathon; after all, he wasn’t just running for himself.

Clougherty’s cousin Liam Talbot has struggled with health issues since he was an infant. Separated by only a year, the pair grew up together and remain “inseparable.” Cullen describes Talbot as his best friend, more of a brother than a cousin.

Unfortunately, Clougherty has had to watch his cousin battle serious illnesses throughout his life. After a serious health scare in September, Clougherty knew he wanted to do something special and be someone his cousin could “lean on.” Drawing inspiration from another cousin who ran the Boston Marathon in 2014 for Talbot, Clougherty decided he would show his support for Liam by running in this year’s marathon.

Clougherty’s cousin was a long-term camper at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. Now that he is older, Clougherty explains that his cousin continues to advocate for the camp.

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is a community wholly dedicated to supporting and providing a “different kind of healing” to children with serious medical disabilities and their families. The charitable organization is dedicated to establishing a safe, supportive environment while establishing a positive camaraderie that recognizes each camper’s abilities and potentials.

There are only a limited number of spots in the charity wave at the Boston Marathon, so registering for a charity team is highly competitive. Clougherty had to go through a rigorous application process with multiple interviews do determine his eligibility and resolve for the commitment he was choosing to undertake.

After Clougherty was selected, he had to meet the $7,500 minimum fundraising requirement.

“My goal was to raise ten thousand dollars. Right now, we’re over eleven and we are hoping to reach thirteen thousand before the May 1st deadline,” Clougherty says.

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp team has currently raised $252,000 for the organization. According to Clougherty, that is enough to pay for a “full summer session of 100 kids” at the camp, which provides its services free of charge to all campers.

Due to his previous commitments, including academics, club hockey, and his involvement in campus ministry, Clougherty was unable to attend the regular training sessions with the other students in the marathon training club. So he and Professor Finn would meet regularly every two weeks, and the junior trained on his own to prepare.

“Professor Finn was my rock through the whole thing,” says Clougherty. The junior especially credits Professor Finn guiding him to the finish line.

“I have no words to say what he did for me,” Clougherty explains. “He was the one that talked me into competing. When I had doubts, he would push me to keep training. He got me through this, and there was no way I would have been able to finish without his encouragement.”

The Friday before Marathon Monday, Clougherty was feeling increasingly anxious. With the grim forecast and prospect of his demanding task looming large, he grew nervous. According to Clougherty, Finn sat him down to talk through the nerves and “put everything into perspective.”

“He told me that after four months of training and all of the fundraising, this marathon wasn’t an ordeal,” Clougherty explains. “It was a celebration of that journey.”

He started his race at 11:30 a.m. with the last wave of runners. Although there was a “thirty-mile per hour headwind” followed by a “sudden downpour” at the start, Clougherty fed off the energy of the event. The excitement of his fellow runners and the enthusiasm of the crowd ensured that he started the race “with a big smile.”

Although there were points were Clougherty acknowledges he had “self-doubt” about his ability to finish, he knew he had to keep going.

“Two big things kept me going,” he says. “The thought of my cousin, and the fans who were out there by themselves, soaked to the bone but cheering us on all day.”

Clougherty credits his resolve to the “undying support” he received both leading up to and in the aftermath of the marathon. He jokes that although his friends were all “skeptical” of his ability to finish the grueling race, their support, as well as the support he received from coworkers, people cheering at the marathon, and the Saint Anselm community, gave him the strength to compete.

“Some of my friends came to support me, and I saw them in Framingham at mile 8,” he says.

He notes that the moment he knew he was up for the task was at the eighteenth mile marker, where a fan on the side told him a thousand people had already dropped out.

Clougherty finished his marathon with an official time of 5:47:43, but, more importantly, he finished the race with his cousin.

“My cousin’s dad is a police officer, so the superintendent let him out on the course for the last half mile,” Clougherty says. “We ran the last half mile together – that’s something I’ll never forget.”