'I see her face': Running with Krystle in mind.

• Author: Conceison, John
• Position: Local

Byline: John Conceison

DUDLEY -- Running the Boston Marathon was something Bill Campbell always wanted to do.

Apparently, all he needed was a reason.

Today, Campbell is running his second Boston Marathon, and again with the satisfaction he's doing so for a most worthwhile purpose.

Campbell's team of nine is named Running for a Reason: Krystle's Legacy, honoring the memory of Krystle Campbell, one of three who were killed by the bomb blasts at the finish line in 2013.

The team's efforts benefit the Krystle Campbell Scholarship Fund, which was founded by UMass trustee Richard Campbell and his wife, Barbara, Bill Campbell's uncle and aunt.

Though Richard, Barbara and Bill Campbell were not relatives of Krystle, they could easily relate to her. Like Richard and Barbara Campbell, Krystle graduated from Medford High School, and Richard and Krystle shared an alma mater in UMass-Boston, with both working hard while paying their way through college.

Richard and Barbara Campbell, who previously had created a scholarship fund to benefit students in the UMass system, moved to rename the fund in Krystle's memory, with her family's blessing. "He felt a kinship to her, so he approached the family about renaming the scholarship in Krystle's name.'' Bill Campbell said.

"Krystle has been a source of inspiration to me personally and to so many throughout the UMass community,'' said Richard Campbell, who, soon after establishing the scholarship, emailed members of his family about running in the 2014 Marathon to raise money for the fund.

"My cousins and I had been wondering what else we could do,'' said Bill Campbell, also an alumnus of the state university system, at UMass-Lowell. "We wanted to see how many family members we could drum up, so he sent the email out, and once I saw it, it was something I always wanted to do. The cause is beyond reproach, so we started fundraising.''

Six of Richard Campbell's family members were on board for Team Running for a Reason, often training together. Along with the family members, each of the UMass campuses were represented on the team. The effort raised more than $120,000; the fund now has about $440,000 in cash and commitments.

"It was just an amazing time for all of us because it brought us close together,'' said Bill Campbell, a sprinter through high school and college who won the Class A state 100-meter title as a Chelmsford High senior in 1985. "We trained together for the long runs, the 18-milers and 20-milers.''

...