NASHUA, NH – Nashua native Matty Gregg runs a lot. While many consider a marathon (26.2 miles) the ultimate run, he takes it to the next level. Matty is an ultramarathoner which means he competes in 50K (31 KM) and 100 km (52KM) races.
He does not just run for pleasure or competition. He often runs to effect positive change. In 2018 he ran the 5,425 miles from California to New Hampshire to support the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. He has raised over $600,000 for charitable causes with his runs.
On Thursday morning he will step into his running shoes once again and depart Nashua on his next charity run. Gregg will begin an eight-day 230-mile run from Nashua to Pittsburg, NH, to support NH Hunger Solutions (NHHS).
NHHS is a nonprofit that connects Granite State residents to food and nutrition support and fights food insecurity.
Matty’s long-distance running was inspired by a childhood memory of his father who passed away when he was 9. He recalled the experience of watching the “ Terry Fox Story” movie with his father.
The biographical film told the story of Terry Fox, a Canadian who at age 22 lost a leg to cancer. In 1980 he began a cross-Canada charity run to support cancer research, running the equivalent of a marathon a day. He ran for 143 days and completed 3,339 before his disease forced him to stop
Matty recalls that, “while we were watching that together my dad had like casually said, “I bet you could do that someday,” and I was like okay. It just kind of stuck in my head and of course, he passed when I was 9.”
Quite an auspicious childhood memory that has inspired a lot of action.
NH has a hunger problem. According to the NHHS, 44% of NH households have insufficient food. The goal of Gregg’s run is to raise awareness of these issues and funds for the charity. He has set a goal of $20,000 for this run and is closing in on that number with a combination of corporate sponsors and individual contributors.
Each day of the run will include a series of community events at the start, during, and at the end of each day to highlight hunger issues across the state. Thursday’s run will start with some students from Mt. Pleasant Elementary School joining in the run and a send-off from Greeley Park.
The issue of hunger affects every community in the state. As he runs the route from the southern border to the northern border of the state he encourages local communities to come out to the run and the scheduled local events. Complete information about the run and the schedule for local stops can be found on the 2024 NH Hunger Run website. Donations can be made at that website.
Gregg is supporting NH Hunger Solutions because of the approach they take to solving the hunger issue. They work with individual families and schools to connect them to food resources. They are match solutions to the situation from assistance in applying for SNAP, sourcing local support, or advocating for legislation
“They try to correct some of the challenges at the source for a lot of families that are struggling right now with food and security. Families aren’t hooked up to the resources that they require so NHHS is filling the information gap or they’re connecting them to the food resources they need or trying to help schools,” said Gregg.
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