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Phoenix dad to run Boston Marathon with a purpose: 'My job isn't finished yet'

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Published  March 9, 2025 6:18pm MST
Fitness and Well-being
FOX 10 Phoenix

Arizona dad shares story behind his Boston Marathon run

The Brief

    • Jesse Goldsmith, an Arizona father, got a text from a friend that changed the course of his health in October 2023.
    • He's using his newfound outlook on life and healthy lifestyle to raise money for cancer research by running in the 129th Boston Marathon.

PHOENIX - A Phoenix man is going the distance when it comes to his health journey, but he's also giving back in a big way for the upcoming Boston Marathon. 

Big picture view:

For Jesse Goldsmith, running wasn't always a breeze. It took a lot out of the Phoenix dad to get to where he's at now.

"October of 2023, I hit rock bottom with my health and got a video text from a friend and said, 'Hey, I love you, I care about you and I don't like the way your health is going. I'm hiring you a life coach full-time,'" Goldsmith said.

A full-time life coach, a trainer, quitting drinking and developing healthy habits. Jesse, who was close to 400 pounds at the time, turned his life around.

He decided to run as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team in the 129th Boston Marathon.

"I've lost 120 pounds in 16 months, so Boston is a way for me to not really make it about my journey, but helping others. I want everybody that's struggling with weight or anxiety or whatever it is, I want them to feel like I'm feeling now right now. I feel like I'm on top of the world and my job isn't finished yet," Goldsmith said.

100% of the money raised by the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team benefits cancer research and supports research in the earliest stages.

Goldsmith, with a $25,000 fundraising goal, wants to make himself and his 10-year-old daughter proud.

"I look at my own 10-year-old daughter, and she's healthy and full of life and I can't imagine what those parents are going through that have sick children. I just truly can't imagine it. It's just hit me hard," Goldsmith said.

The 16-month health journey has been a wild ride, but one Goldsmith takes with big strides.

What's next:

He'll be running for a cause at the Boston Marathon on April 21.

What you can do:

Click here if you'd like to donate to Goldsmith's journey.

The Source

  • FOX 10 interview with Jesse Goldsmith, Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team website

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