-by Betsy Kim and Caroline MacGillivray- As growing individuals of the twenty-first century, Winsor students are strongly encouraged to fight for the causes that are dear to our hearts. Next spring, Arielle Mitropoulos ‘15 will do just that by running the Boston Marathon in honor of Winsor’s beloved Ms. Minkoff, who passed away of liver cancer in July of 2013. Panel staff Caroline MacGillivray ’15 and Betsy Kim ’17 sat down with Arielle for a short Q&A.
Describe what Ms. Minkoff meant to you.
It is truly impossible for me to explain how much Mimi Minkoff meant to me.
More than just a teacher, she was a mentor and a friend – someone I knew I
could always talk to and rely on. From the beginning of my time at Winsor, in
seventh grade, I forged a connection and a relationship with her that I did not have with any
other teacher, and I was able to confide in her and seek her guidance and help on
many academic and non-academic issues. My relationship with Mimi Minkoff is one
that I will treasure for the rest of my life. All I can say is it’s not very
often in life that you meet someone like her.
Why running? Why this specific tribute?
I have always admired the people who took the time to train and run the Marathon,
particularly those who ran in honor of a specific cause.
When Ms. Chase told me about the team with whom she had run the Boston Marathon several
times, The American Liver Foundation’s Run For Research team, I knew this would
be a perfect fit. Ms. Minkoff died of liver cancer so it would be a fitting
tribute knowing that all the proceeds of the fundraising would support trying to
find a cure for all liver diseases, including cancer. The American Liver Foundation’s mission is to support patients with all liver diseases and to ultimately support research to find a cure. Over
23,000 Americans die of liver cancer each year in the United States, so if I can
help one person in the process of this all, I know I will have been successful.
What are you doing for your training?
I’m probably going to start running at least 3-4 times a week, along with cross
training, since I’m on the varsity swim team and I have practice every day.
How long have you been preparing for this marathon?
I started running this summer. However, the truly grueling runs will
begin in November.
What were some of the requirements to qualify for this marathon?
For the Boston Marathon, you must be 18 years old, have run a previous marathon and
qualify or you can chose to run for charity. Clearly, because I will only turn
18 at the end of March, only a few weeks before race day, I would not have run a previous marathon, thus I could not meet the first two conditions, so I chose to run for charity. If you’re a charity runner in the 2015 Boston Marathon, you have to be accepted to a charity team and then raise a minimum of $5,000.
Do you have any specific goals for this race?
Personally, I don’t have any specific time I’m aiming for, I just want to finish!
What do you hope to accomplish by completing this marathon?
I just hope to raise money for and awareness of all liver diseases, and most of
all, do something that Ms. Minkoff would have been proud of.
Arielle’s campaign is called “Miles for Mimi.” Please donate! For more information, visit this link:
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