Valerie Bertinelli completes Boston Marathon ahead of her 50th birthday
Actress and Jenny Craig spokeswoman Valerie Bertinelli celebrated her upcoming 50th birthday by completing the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Clocking in at five hours and 14 minutes for the 26.2-mile trek, the star raised more than $17,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
"I’m still in awe of the fact that I just ran the Boston Marathon,” Bertinelli told friends and supporters after the race.
Bertinelli lost 40 pounds with Jenny Craig in 2007, maintaining her figure through 2009 when she entered her first marathon in Sonoma Valley. Before the big run in Boston, Bertinelli carb-loaded with a pasta dinner. then stopped to visit with Dana-Farber patients.
"I was more motivated than ever to do this for them. In fact, throughout the course of the run, there were many moments where I needed that extra push, and thinking of them and seeing their faces was all I needed," Bertinelli said in a statement.
The "One Day at a Time" actress turns 50 on Friday.
-- Matt Donnelly
Photo: Bertinelli crosses the Boston Marathon finish line on April 19, 2010. Credit: Darren McCollester / Getty Images
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That's quite an accomplishment. I am closing in on 50 myself and I ran my only marathon as a much younger person and don't particularly want to do another one. Great job.
Posted by: Donnie Chaffin | Apr 23, 2010 at 03:21 PM