Fletcher Sokul remembers his time growing up in Concord fondly. Living across the street from the driving range at Concord Country Club, Sokul spent many afternoons with the rest of the neighborhood kids out on the golf course, passing however many hours of sunlight were left on the tee boxes or greens of the 87-year-old course.
The game of golf impacted Sokul’s upbringing so much, that now, so many years later, the Bishop Brady graduate has a chance to give back to the game.
When the 121st running of the Boston Marathon begins Monday morning to kick off one of most anticipated days of the year in New England, Sokul will be one of the 30,000-plus people standing at the starting line in Hopkinton, Mass. Sokul is one of four racers who will run for Team Ouimet – part of the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund that helps award scholarships to high school students who’ve been involved in the golf industry for at least two years.
For Sokul, who graduated from Bishop Brady in 2011 after four standout years on the golf team and went on to play Division I at Loyola University Maryland, it was an opportunity that felt tailor-made.
“I applied because I felt like it was a perfect fit,” Sokul said. “I love the game of golf. I’d love to see the game of golf grow. I think that’s extremely important and anything to help kids succeed in college is extremely important and vital to help grow the game, so I thought it was a no-brainer.”
The Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund was founded in 1949 and was selected to receive bibs for the Boston Marathon for the fifth straight year. It is one of the largest golf charities in Massachusetts and aims to provide need-based scholarships to students “who have a demonstrated a strong work ethic by having completed at least two years of service to golf,” according to the organization’s website.
Sokul said he didn’t know how many applications they received, but was shocked to hear he had been selected. He’s raised $10,000 on his own, and together with Team Ouimet, the four are aiming to raise $40,000 to help the fund give out $2 million in scholarships this fall.
“I’ve never run a race before. Period. End of story. Whether it’s a 5K or one mile, but I felt like this was a good opportunity to run for a reason that matters to me and I’m connected with,” Sokul said. “I also live in Boston currently and Patriots Day is a huge deal down in the city. I thought it would be a really good experience and a fun experience to see if I could run the marathon.”
Admittedly, Sokul isn’t much of a runner. “I’m obviously not going to break any land speed records with how I run,” he joked. But he will have a large support team in attendance and is planning to finish the 26-mile course in under four and a half hours.
“I think the atmosphere is going to be electric,” Sokul said. “My biggest goal is I just want to finish. I have a bunch of friends and family that are going to be watching and I think it’s just going to be really an experience that for me, because I’m not a runner, will probably be a once in a lifetime experience.
“Once I cross that finish line it will be something I always have and I feel like it’s a great way to really connect and become a true Bostonian,” Sokul said. “Taking part in the Boston Marathon, whether it’s running, watching, or volunteering, that’s the best and most fun way to really connect with the community.”
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3371, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)