For over 20 years, Dartmouth’s Matt Parsons, along with his friends and family, have participated in the annual Jimmy Fund Walk, and this year is no different, with the walk set to take place Sunday, Oct. 6.

The Jimmy Fund Walk, which raises money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, is the only organized walk permitted on the Boston Marathon course, and participants have the flexibility to choose from four distance options: 5K walk (from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Longwood Medical Campus), 10K walk (from Newton), Half Marathon walk (from Wellesley), and Marathon walk (from Hopkinton).  

Over 20 years ago, a former coworker of Parsons’, Trinh Phung, had lost a son to cancer and would do the walk every year. After supporting his fundraising efforts, Parsons decided to join him one year later.

Doing the Boston Marathon Route, “we kind of got hooked,” he said.

“We’ve participated in the team every year since then,” he added — mainly doing the 10k route.

Parsons said it’s become a tradition in his family, with his daughter looking forward to it this year.

Also a tradition is the celebratory cookout the Phung family hosts to thank their teammates.

“They're so generous, so kind and so we definitely get together with them more than once a year,” Parsons said.

“I think it's a phenomenal cause,” he added. “ “It's just really nice to make you feel connected to it and feel like you're making a difference.”