Members of the American Red Cross Boston Marathon team meet every Saturday at the Heartbreak Hill Running Club for a long run.

Each runner has a special connection to the American Red Cross, whether its volunteering at food pantries or donating blood, but theres one other thing all 60 teammates have in common they cant run a mile without thinking about the tragedies of last year.

Lisa Pacheco, who is the teams yoga teacher, holds back tears as she remembers cheering for last years American Red Cross Team.

Within seconds it went from cheering on those people to oh my gosh, how important is the Red Cross right now, she said.

This year, the team has increased its fundraising goal to $225,000, and with just two months left, theyve already raised more than $140,000.

With the Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts you realize that theres actually a mission locally, said team coach Dan Fitzgerald. People want to be involved in this marathon.

This is Fitzgeralds third year coaching.

For a lot of us it (the tragedies) reinforced the fact that we want to be back this year and give it a good go, he said looking back at his team who was stretching and preparing for their more than 10-mile run.

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Red Cross team boosts Boston Marathon fundraising goal