Bill Rodgers Takes On New Marathon Project

 He is out to help raise melanoma awareness.

To most people, the name Bill Rodgers brings up images of hard-fought Boston Marathon victories. After all, “Boston Billy” won the oldest modern marathon four times during his impressive career.

Recently, Rodgers has put his running-celebrity status behind an important cause: melanoma prevention. This year, the 65-year-old will serve as the honorary team captain of the Melanoma Foundation New England (MFNE) Marathon team, “Running for Cover.”

On April 15, they will run the Boston Marathon.

“Not only was I hit with cancer myself, but for me, my grandfather was hit with melanoma, my dad was hit with it, it’s in my family,” Rodgers said. “I think cancer is a disease we don’t know much about, but we can do so much more about the causes of cancer.”

Rodgers admits that he has spent so much time outside (130 miles a week during his professional career) and offers up this advice: “If you have skin cancer in your family, maybe you’re a little more susceptible. You’ve got to take a look, for changes or marks, moles. If there’s a change, you’ve got to watch it.”

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