StacheStrong’s Boston Marathon story continues to make headlines. This April, Hoodline published a feature on Colin Gerner and the mission driving every mile he runs, covering the five-year, $1 million research commitment that makes this year’s race one of the most significant in StacheStrong’s history.
Read the original article: Hoboken Runner Turns Boston Marathon Into $1 Million War Chest Against Brain Cancer
Why Colin Is Running
When Colin Gerner toes the start line of the 2026 Boston Marathon, he is not chasing a finish time. He is running to fuel a five-year, $1 million research commitment aimed at glioblastoma, the aggressive brain cancer that took his brother GJ in 2019.
Colin launched StacheStrong alongside GJ following his 2018 diagnosis, and has kept the organization running and growing in the years since GJ’s passing. At this year’s Boston Marathon, Colin is the number two global fundraiser for the entire race, having already raised more than $200,000, fully covering the first year of the new grant. As he told Boston.com, running Boston feels especially meaningful because every mile translates directly into targeted science at a major Boston research hospital.
The Science Behind the Grant
In partnership with the V Foundation for Cancer Research, StacheStrong has committed $1 million over five years to research teams at Massachusetts General Hospital. The grant, distributed through the V Foundation’s peer-reviewed process, will support the labs of Mario Suvà, M.D., Ph.D., and Liron Bar-Peled, Ph.D., as they study how glioblastoma cells evolve and identify new targets for treatment.
The goal is to move the science forward in a disease where outcomes have barely changed in decades. As Susanna Greer, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of the V Foundation, put it: “Progress against glioblastoma will require new ideas and sustained commitment.” Long-term, multi-year funding commitments like this one are exactly how that progress gets made.
From Mustache to Movement
Hoodline traces the origin of StacheStrong back to where it always begins: GJ. During treatment, the whole family grew mustaches to keep the mood light. That small act of solidarity became the symbol of a movement none of them could have predicted.
StacheStrong formally became a nonprofit in 2018. Since then, it has funded more than $7 million in brain cancer research across 65+ grants at 40+ institutions. The organization now fields more than 150 marathon runners around the world, all lacing up and fundraising for glioblastoma research year after year.
The Bigger Goal
For Colin, the Boston Marathon is personal. But the goal has always been bigger than any single race. Every dollar raised is a step toward better treatments and, one day, a cure for a disease that still gives most patients a prognosis measured in months rather than years.
StacheStrong is building the kind of sustained, long-term research infrastructure that glioblastoma research desperately needs. The MGH grant is a landmark moment in that effort, and one made possible entirely by this community.
Get Involved
Inspired by what Colin and Team StacheStrong are building? There are plenty of ways to be part of it.
StacheStrong has charity bib opportunities available for international marathons throughout 2026 and into 2027, including races in Cape Town, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, Dublin, New York, and Tokyo. Applications are also open for the 2027 Boston Marathon.
Whether you run, donate, or simply share the story, every action moves the mission forward.
Visit our international marathon page to learn more about how you can run for a cure.