The memory run: PSU student running Boston to honor late stepfather

Madan will be running to support the work of the Boston Bulldogs, a nonprofit club that uses running as a supportive outlet for those negatively affected by addiction. She has already held one fundraising event, and is planning another event for sometime in mid-March at Yama's Greek Eatery.

Madan, a student at Plymouth State University studying geriatric nursing, grew up in Dedham, Massachusetts. She was an athletic kid, born into an athletic family, but she said it wasn’t until her stepfather came into her life that she discovered her passion for running.

Staunton was a runner, and tried to get Madan to run with him. It didn’t work, though, until it was imposed upon her.

When she was a teenager, Madan defied rules and snuck out to visit friends. Her punishment was to run a 5k taking place the next day.

“Being the stubborn teenager, I said, 'I’m going to run this and prove that it’s not a punishment,'” Madan said. She excelled in that race — perhaps that’s just what Staunton expected — and she was a runner from then on.

Madan had grown up watching other runners, and Staunton in particular, who went out for daily runs, group runs with his club, and competed in events such as triathlons and marathons.

When she joined him in the pursuit of running, she saw another side: Staunton as coach, with equal parts cheerleader and cattle prod.

“One thing that I absolutely adored about him, he was super outgoing, super friendly,” Madan said. “I’ll never forget him going to my lacrosse games, my track meets, he was the loudest voice in the field. ... I’ll never forget that voice, even if I am having a tough race, I put myself back in that position, and I can hear him pushing me.”

One race that sticks out in her mind was one that offered both 10k and half-marathon distances. Staunton did the longer route, and finished prior to Madan, who was having a rough go of it. It was so rough, in fact, that she called Staunton on her phone, and asked him to come pick her up. Instead, he ran back down the course until he found her, then coaxed her to take another step. “He pushed me to get to the finish line,” she said.

Another memory, from another 10k: Madan was flying through the course, and ended the race as the first finisher in her age division. Staunton was there at the finish line, tears of joy and pride in his eyes.

“He literally cried when I crossed the finish line,” Madan said. “I’ll never forget that, either.”

Staunton’s internal struggles were also known to her. He, like Madan, was naturally athletic, and earned a scholarship to play hockey at Boston College. She said that, along with his gregarious personality, he could be “easily persuaded.” He was introduced to opioids — Percocet at first, he told NBC Boston in a 2018 feature about the Bulldogs Running Club, then he transitioned to heroin — and addiction took over his life.

“It kind of got the best of him. He was in and out of sobriety for years, hit rock bottom,” Madan said. By the time he met Madan’s mother, he had burned most relationships in his life. When it became clear that he would lose her as well, he found a way to get clean and stay that way.

His strategy, which worked for years, was treating his sobriety as a daily activity, Madan said. He went to meetings, went on runs, led workouts with the Bulldogs and offered mentorship to others also seeking wellness.

Staunton completed three marathons, according to his obituary, including Boston in 2018 and 2019. But illness was at his heels.

“It was a constant battle every day,” Madan said. “His runner’s high was his high. That’s what kept him sober. With the isolation of COVID, and not being able to go to those meetings,” his addiction found a way back. He relapsed and suffered a fatal overdose on June 22, 2020.

Madan was 18, and devastated.

“When he first passed away, I was humiliated, because my family was well-known [in Dedham] and there’s a stigma that goes along with addiction, but it can happen to anyone’s family. Stereotypes don’t exist when it comes to addiction, it can happen to anyone,” Madan said.

In the same way that Staunton found running to be a release from his struggles, Madan has found the activity to provide relief from her grief.

Then, in the fall, she was offered the chance to use running to pay tribute to Staunton. The Bulldogs open their activities to all affected by addiction, including those like Madan, who are grieving someone taken by the disease. Madan joined the club for runs when she visited home, and in the fall, they reached out to her with an offer. They had an extra fundraising bib for the Boston Marathon, would she like it? For her, it was an easy answer, as it is surely the answer that Staunton would want. It’s another thing to live with that answer, though.

Madan accepted the challenge even though she would have to take on a marathon training plan that currently has her running 16 miles on her long days. It is also a decision that commits her to raise $10,000.

Madan, who works as a server at Yama’s, said the training and the fundraising are difficult to fit into her life, but she said it’s a challenge she couldn’t turn down.

Running in the Boston Marathon “was something I was definitely thinking about, I didn’t know if I could fit it into my schedule,” she said. When she was practically handed a bib, she thought, “This is happening for a reason. They are reaching out for a reason.”

Madan said she grew up watching the marathon, and always imagined taking part in it one day — but not as a college student.

“I can’t believe it’s happening so soon, I’m super excited,” Madan said. “My hopes for the marathon are to just cross the finish line, and lay my grieving process to bed.”