BOSTON -- A local endurance runner is planning to run the Boston Marathon four times in a row to benefit wounded soldiers.

John O’Connor, from Haverhill, Mass., is supporting the Wounded Warrior Project with his endurance run at the Boston Marathon and hopes to give back to the men and women of the armed forces.

“My inspirations are the men and women who are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said O’Connor. “I just want to do whatever I can for them.”

The Wounded Warrior Project is an organization that provides aid and support to severely injured soldiers returning home. O’Connor’s goal is to raise awareness and $5,000 for the organization during his quadruple marathon.

On Sunday evening before the race, O’Connor will begin his run at the finish line of the Boston Marathon at 5:30 p.m.. He will then run through the night and catch the remaining runners at their starting line the next morning. At that time he will have already completed his third trip on the marathon route. Finally, together with the other runners, he will cross the finish line back in Boston and complete his goal of running a quadruple marathon.

“Timing is a concern of mine,” said O’Connor. “If I run too fast, I will have to wait for all the other runners too start Monday morning and I might cramp. If I run too slow, I might be running against the 30,000 other runners going the opposite direction on their way to Boston.”

This will be the longest distance O’Connor has ever run before. In 2007, he completed the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run. At the Boston Marathon he hopes to top that by just over four miles.

“I really enjoy endurance running,” said O’Connor. “I’ve always been amazed that my body could run over 50 miles and I want to see how far I can actually run.”

O’Connor’s first marathon was in 1995 at the Boston Marathon. His first ultra marathon (any distance over 26.2 miles) was in 2007. To prepare for running such a long distance, O’Connor trains with the Gil’s Athletic Club in Topsfield, Mass., and follows a challenging running schedule where he trains his body to run through the night.

LINK: John O’Connor Running Blog