It was only a short time after Blake Crossley finished running the 2018 Boston Marathon when his son asked him “dad, when are you going to run Boston for me?”

That moment is what got Crossley started on his journey and for the second year in a row, Crossley ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, finishing the 42-kilometre race in five hours and 16 minutes.

With his son Kaleb diagnosed with Asperger’s, Crossley decided he would run in the 2019 Boston Marathon partly in support of the Autism Society of Wood Buffalo.

Additionally, Crossley ran for the National Organization for Rare Disorders in support of Fort McMurray’s Tessa Booth, a four-year-old with a rare form of lung cancer. He also ran in support of his friend and fellow runner, Tracy Caines, who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer last summer.

Crossley has run for Booth in various races since the 2016 wildfires, including the 2018 Boston Marathon.

This year, he raised the qualifying $5,000 for NORD. He also raised more than $8,000 for the Autism Society.

Crossley said social media has been a big part of being able to help multiple people.

“Social media has been a blessing,” he said. “Here in Fort McMurray we have such an amazing group of people all over the board that support each other… even in the tough economic times they came through.”

Training during the winter has been tough, said Crossley, but the support he’s received has been a big help.

“It’s a really cool thing to have that support system behind you,” he said. “Especially when you’re out in -40 and you’re hurting. You’re out there for three hours and your face is frozen up and you’re just thinking to yourself ‘what in the name of God am I doing.’”

Nicole Spring, community ambassador with the Autism society of the RMWB, said Blake’s decision to raise money for the organization has a big impact on what they’re able to do.

“It’s such an amazing feeling because it makes us know that we can keep the doors open for another month or another two months,” she said.

Spring said the money raised will provide two missing piece resource lending bins, which are kits filled with a helpful tools, including lesson plans, activities and learning materials for schools and organizations.

The money raised will also provide an opportunity for more presentations to various groups, including autism 101 and inclusion awareness.

“It just solidifies my love of Fort McMurray,” said Spring. “People step up to the plate here and they definitely are driven by a very strong sense of community.”

lbeamish@postmedia.com