…Father Luke is still planning to run this year \u201d\u201d along with hundreds of other service members \u201d\u201d as part of a \u201cshadow\u201d\u009d Boston Marathon in Afghanistan. \u201cAfter I qualified for 2014, I knew I couldn\u2019t run in Boston this year,\u201d\u009d he said. \u201cBut I could bring Boston to Afghanistan.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
On Friday, in a telephone interview from Afghanistan, Father Luke said registration for \u201cBoston Marathon\/Afghanistan\u201d\u009d had opened on Thursday. \u201cAnd the response has been overwhelming,\u201d\u009d with members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines signing up from throughout Afghanistan, he said.<\/p>\n
He said military commanders and Boston Athletic Association officials embraced the idea when he proposed it. (Bagram also hosted a \u201cshadow\u201d\u009d Boston Marathon a couple of years ago). So when service members cross the finish line in Afghanistan, they\u2019ll receive the same medals handed out on Boylston Street.<\/p>\n