Mass. locals band together to aid Sandy victims

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – News of the cancellation of the New York Marathon hit some runners hard; however, instead of calling it quits, some locals still ran 26 miles or more to help raise money for New York residents still coping with Sandy's devastation.

Greg Soutiea is one such runner who headed to New York City only to find out that the marathon had been cancelled, but the trip was not in vain. Once Soutiea saw the aftermath with his own eyes, he felt he needed to do something to help.

"I did see power lines down, trees uprooted, lines for gas, gas stations out of gas, people standing outside of shelters, just to see it first-hand really hit home," Soutiea told FOX 25's Tyisha Fernandes.

Soutiea decided to gather his running buddies and run one mile for every $10 donated to a fund he had set up. He ended up running at least twice the miles he would have run in the marathon over the course of several hours.

While that Brighton group used their neighborhood to run a mock marathon, a couple of Harvard University students did the same thing along the Charles River.

The girls who participated in the run along the Charles River raised approximately $2,500 which will be donated to New York residents through the American Red Cross.

Sarah Quiroga also decided to help the cause by getting local families to take in families from New York, so that they are not stuck in shelters for the next few weeks.

"Maybe being able to stay in someone's home, be able to have a nice bed, some privacy, especially with kids, a baby, I just want these people to be able to have that as an option," Quiroga said.

Quiroga is also asking for non-perishable food items and clothing for those affected by the storm.

For more information on how to help, head to https:www.facebook.com/#!/HurricaneSandyHostFamilies and http://www.gofundme.com/1g3k24?pc=fb_cr.

Cox Media Group