By Joseph Edgerton
Staff Writer

Students and staff line up in front of Mountain View Middle School to cheer as two runners and two bikers finish a marathon-length run from their homes to the school. Their goal was to raise awareness and money for cancer research and for the family of Brandon Tardiff, who is a seventh-grader fighting cancer. Going the distance are, from left, teacher Mark Kilmister, teacher Andy Caulton, Assistant Principal Fred Deppe and teacher Mark Marasca. (Joseph Edgerton Photo)

The Boston Marathon may be over, but the staff and students of Mountain View Middle School decided to have a marathon of their own.

Fred Deppe, assistant principal, and Andy Caulton, a seventh- grade English and social studies teacher at the school, ran more than 26.2 miles to support Brandon Tardiff, a seventh- grader with cancer. More than $5,000 has been raised so far through this and other fundraisers.

Although he is in the middle of chemotherapy treatments, Tardiff, 13, still attends school daily.

"I go for about two hours a day," he said. "My favorite subjects are art and social studies."

Rose Colby, principal of the school, said, "We thought to ourselves, how can we best support Brandon? We decided to wrap around him as a community. Goffstown is a very supportive community."

Colby also observed that very few families are untouched by cancer. She said that the run will benefit Tardiff's family as well as the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

The runners and their entourage stopped briefly at the Goffstown common, the 22nd mile of their journey. Deppe and Caulton, as well as their accompanying riders, teachers Mark Marasca and Mark Kilmister, stretched and rehydrated before continuing on.

"There wasn't necessarily a Heartbreak Hill, but Wallace Road between miles 14 and 20 was pretty intense," said Caulton. "Your legs feel it much more, but it was enjoyable to conquer those hills."

"I don't know how we did it," said Marasca. "But we did. The way I see it, the least I could do was bike along."

When a bystander asked him what time he began the marathon, Deppe quipped, "We slept in late this morning; we got going around 4:30."

Deppe and Caulton, as well as the others who participated, were fueled by a spaghetti dinner and the support of the entire school.

From the common, the quartet then ran the last 4 miles to the school with a full Goffstown police escort, where students with signs lined the sidewalk and "pump-up" music blared from loudspeakers.

A general feeling of elation filled the crowd as the men crossed the finish line.

"These days, there are so few positive things in general going on," Caulton said. "But the support of the school, the run itself, the spirit and the finish were all just amazing."

After the race, a supporter asked Deppe and Caulton if at any point they were ready to drop.

"The only time we were ready to stop was at that door," said Deppe, pointing to the front door of the school.

Those who want to help Brandon can make donations to the Brandon Tardiff Medical Fund. Make checks payable to "MVP" and mailed to Mountain View Middle School, 41 Lauren Lane, Goffstown, NH 03045.