Mass. man running 7 marathons in a week over every continent for Make-A-Wish

(WPRI) — A Massachusetts man is going the extra mile for a Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Bill Murphy from Grafton, is running The Great World Race from Nov. 15 to Nov. 21. The race consists of seven marathons, covering every continent over a single week.

He hopes to raise $50,000 for the charity, which grants wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses. 

"We need to keep finding wishes, so I really do want to bring awareness," Murphy said. 

Murphy has been a champion for Make-A-Wish for 20 years. The organization says he has donated $500,000 in that time. 

"The average cost of a wish is just about $12,000," Michael Vieira, the regional director of the charity said. "That means at over half a million, Bill has granted quite a few wishes for children and families that need it most." 

This is not the first time Murphy has seemingly conquered the impossible for the cause. When a torn quadricep threw a wrench in his plan to run the Boston Marathon in 2021, Murphy completed the 26.2-mile race on crutches. 

"Bill responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He would never back out of what he intended to do," Vieira recalled.  

As Murphy trains for the Great World Race, he's using the skills he's learned from the Make-A-Wish kids. 

"It's just an incredible thing to watch," Murphy said. "As adults, we can all learn from that, the resilience, the loyalty, the selflessness." 

Murphy told Nexstar's WPRI that those kids will motivate him during every mile in The Great World Race. 

"I think everyone needs to have a meaning, a purpose, a 'why,'" he said. "If you are accountable to something, someone, something greater, then you, keep going, right? That's the motivation." 

You can donate to Murphy's cause online.