History

Our History

Dreamfar High School Marathon (DHSM) was founded in 2008 by Jamie Chaloff, a special education teacher, as New England's first high school marathon training program.  Jamie, herself a rebel in high school, was drawn to the students who fell through the cracks; she knew there had to be another way to motivate them to be the best they could be.  In 2004 Jamie completed her first marathon; reaching the finish line was one of the most empowering moments of her life.  It was at that moment that everything "clicked," and the dream of starting a high school marathon program began.

In the first year of the program, nine students successfully completed the Cox Providence Marathon, and graduated from high school. During the second year, 27 students finished the marathon and high school.  By the end of last season (2010-2011), we successfully trained more than 67 students to complete the Cox Providence Marathon.  To date, all of our seniors have graduated from high school and 95% of them have gone on to college.

DHSM gives students the opportunity to realize the significant achievement of completing a marathon, through a training program that values mentorship, dedication and support.  We are currently training students from six Massachusetts High Schools: Brookline High, Charlestown High, Newton North, Newton South, Sharon High and Urban Science Academy.  DHSM is 80+ students strong with a mentor/volunteer base of more than 100 dedicated people ready to motivate, empower, and encourage the students to complete both the marathon and high school. We are looking forward to another fantastic season with many more success stories to share!

DHSM is a recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.  Our hope is to one day reach every high school in Massachusetts.