Wayland Patch 4/15/12: Wayland Runner Raises Money to Fight Homelessness. Lisa Nickerson knows running the Boston Marathon is an extreme way to fund raise, but that's actually part of the appeal. “It’s a Boston tradition," Nickerson said, acknowledging that the difficulty of this particular marathon makes it infamous. "It’s a privilege to be a part of. It feels like a great accomplishment when you do it." The 2012 Boston Marathon is Nickerson's second and is the second time she'll be running to raise money for Housing Families, a charity focused on finding housing solutions, temporary and permanent, for families with children.

Wayland Patch 4/14/12: Boston Marathon Ready After Losing 120 Pounds. Russ Becker decided he needed to make a change during his sophomore of high school. Tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds, Becker said in a press release that he knew he had to change the way he lived. “A conscious decision [during] my sophomore year in high school started me on a path of healthier eating, exercise and thinking about my future," Becker said in a press release. "Something just clicked and I started to run.” Five years have passed since that decision and now 120 pounds lighter, Becker, a student at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, said he is "as ready as I'm gonna be" to run in Monday's marathon.