Runners taking to Boston to raise funds for Special Olympics

CENTER HARBOR — One step leads to another and, tens of thousands of steps later, marathon runners will reach the finish line. A local resident will be toeing the starting line of the Boston Marathon next week, the latest step in a journey that started years ago when he agreed to raise money for the Special Olympics through its annual Polar Plunge event.

Eric Tinker, an accomplished marathoner and fresh sales director for Associated Grocers of New England, said he started engaging with Special Olympics of New Hampshire as a volunteer, and that the more experience he had with the organization, the more he was drawn to help.

Now, he is one half of a tandem team — along with decorated Special Olympics athlete Charlie Helfrich of Henniker — who will be running in the Boston Marathon on April 17. Their goal is to reach the finish line together, and to raise $26,200 for Special Olympics of New Hampshire.

It’s a goal that is close to the hearts of both Tinker, who has been a SONH board member for three years, and Helfrich, who has participated in Special Olympics athletics for nearly all of his life.

Helfrich, 36, first engaged with Special Olympics of New Hampshire when he was 7 years old. He’s wrestled, participated in track and field events, and was a kicker on his high school football team. As an adult, he’s been drawn to endurance athletics, which helps to control his Type 1 diabetes.

Tinker, 52, is no stranger to marathons — he has run five of them so far. But, for the past three years, he has been focusing on building his partnership with Helfrich.

Helfrich has been making a name for himself as an endurance athlete for years. He was among the field in 2014 that participated in the first sprint triathlon at the USA Games in 2014, held in New Jersey, and he completed a sprint triathlon when they were part of the state games in 2018. He has also become an athlete leader for SONH, attending conferences around the country, and once attending the Special Olympics World Games, hosted in Athens, Greece, in 2011.

He said that endurance sports helps keep him in good health — and the smile on his face says that he enjoys the challenge. Several years ago, while cheering on other athletes crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon, he got bitten by the bug of a new challenge.

“It was through watching all the people cross the finish line, watching my good friend Jamie Staton, from WMUR, cross the finish line,” Helfrich said. “I dreamed of doing the Boston Marathon. One of the guys I partnered up with for a unified triathlon told me, 'If you do two half-marathons, I’ll get you a bib.'”

A bib for the Boston Marathon. A piece of paper with a large number on it, worth well more than its weight in gold, an indicator that the person holding it has gained entry into the most historic — and one of the hardest to get into — foot races in the world. Only the fastest distance runners are able to qualify for it based on speed alone, those with moderate paces can only hope to experience the storied race by joining up with a nonprofit that has been granted a bib that they can use to leverage fundraising.

To earn their bibs, team Tinker and Helfrich have set their fundraising goal at a lofty $26,200 — $1,000 for every mile of the race — which would all go to benefit Special Olympics of New Hampshire. Helfrich said the money raised would help provide transportation for athletes to get to events, or perhaps to provide seed funding for a new club to form.

“Special Olympics has changed my life in so many ways,” Helfrich said. He still has friends he made in 2011 when he traveled to Athens, and he reconnects with those friends and coaches when he travels to national games. “It’s just a great organization. It gives me confidence."

But getting that bib took some work. Helfrich and Tinker spent three years building up their resume. They’ve completed three sprint triathlons, an open water-swim at the national games, hiked mountains and completed the challenge of two half-marathons.

In December, they learned that they would be given access to this year’s marathon, and then the work began anew. Because they live so far apart, they did their mid-week runs on their own, then got together on the weekends for their long runs. Those weekend jaunts started out at 13 miles, then 14, then 16, eventually up to 20 miles. They feel strong and confident looking forward to the 26.2-mile distance.

“Our goal is four-and-a-half, five hours,” Tinker said. “But ultimately our goal is to get past that finish line.”

He’ll have at least one person there cheering for him.

“Charlie is so inspiring. He has had the Boston Marathon as a goal for years, and his hard work is going to pay off on April 17 for sure,” said Jamie Staton, anchor for WMUR. “I will be reporting at the finish line, and I can’t wait to see him there. Let’s go, Charlie!”

“I think it will be amazing when I cross that finish line, just knowing that I accomplished something,” Helfrich said.

His running partner said Helfrich has already accomplished something by his example.

“When I met Charlie, and started meeting the (Special Olympics) athletes, they are so inspiring, all the challenges they go through in life. It has changed me, made me a better person. You don’t worry about all the little things in your life,” Tinker said. “It gives people confidence to be part of the community. It’s just inspiring to me.”

Tinker and Helfrich have raised about $10,000 of their $26,200 goal so far. To help them get there, visit sonh.org.

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The Sunshine Effect is a new series in The Laconia Daily Sun highlighting the people and organizations working to improve our communities through volunteering and fundraising. We believe that telling their stories will encourage others to support their work, and launch new charitable efforts of their own.