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April 20, 2009

Mike Freni, Beverly Spurred on by autistic son

By Chris Cassidy

Mike Freni of Beverly ran his first Boston Marathon last year in honor of his son Joey. This year, Freni's brother, EJ Freni, and brother-in-law Mike Smith will be joining him for the full 26.2-mile haul.

All three are running to raise money for LADDERS, a program affiliated with the MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, and to honor Joey, now 3, who was diagnosed with autism when he was 18 months old.

"He's doing pretty well," said Mike Freni, 29. "It definitely has its frustrating points. He's still non-verbal and pretty much non-receptive. ... The progress these kids make is so different case to case."

This year the trio has raised $13,000. Last year, Freni brought in about $23,000 by himself.

His goal is simply to finish, although he said crossing in under four hours would be nice.

"Once you get into those high numbers, everyone has a similar story," said Freni.

"I don't think anyone that didn't qualify is in it for the fun of it, because it is torture on your body. The day of (the marathon) is the best day because it kind of ends your training and you're rewarded with the crowd. It's a really nice experience."

—Chris Cassidy

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