Running and swimming for a cause

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Beginning a little before midnight on Thursday, Oak Bluffs resident Lou D’Agostino will start his run and swim around the entire perimeter of Martha’s Vineyard, which he intends to complete within 24 hours. His route will begin in a westward direction on only natural terrain starting on South Beach in Edgartown and back again. Once complete, D’Agostino said he will be the first person to ever do this. His route and record will be listed in Fastest Known Time. 

D’Agostino is doing this for a few reasons, according to the GoFundMe page he set up: to raise money for local nonprofit organizations that directly help kids in the community, to spread self-love and self-worth awareness in the community, to have fun, and do something he had always wanted to do and never been done before.

D’Agostino has been training to prepare for the event. One of the people who helped train D’Agostino for the run-swim was YMCA swim instructor Jen Passafiume. They’ve known each other for a while now, and D’Agostino asked for help. Passafiume gave D’Agostine tips about swimming by “donating” a swim class to him. 

“That was my way of contributing to his wonderful, wonderful fundraiser,” said Passafiume. 

D’Agostino will run and swim to raise money for the Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation. He believes working with the foundation will be the best way to make sure the money is used to benefit the children of the Island. 

“This is my community, I love my community,” D’Agostino said. 

“He really wanted to make sure the organizations that received the fund really needed it,” Jennifer Ray, manager of operations at the foundation, said. Ray said the foundation will discuss with D’Agostino how he might want the funds to be used for helping children, such as education or general wellness. 

So far, $7,100 of the $100,000 goal has been raised. If you would like to donate to D’Agostino’s cause, visit his GoFundMe page