“A phenomenal Accomplishment”

Selectmen honor Marine and buddy with citation for completing 100-mile run on Veterans Day

  Selectmen at Tuesday night’s meeting paid a special tribute to retired U.S. Marine Sergeant Brandon Montella and his friend Nicholas Santullo for their recent 100-mile run honoring Saugus veterans on Veterans Day.

  “A hell of an accomplishment,” Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano declared after hearing Montella summarize his ambitious and challenging project that earned the Walnut Street resident and his friend citations from the board. “I thought I was accomplishing something walking 10 miles a day. But running 100 miles is never going to happen. I can’t even drive that far without falling asleep,” Cogliano added.

  Board of Selectmen Vice-Chair Debra Panetta called the two men “an inspiration” and thanked them for coming to Town Hall “so that everybody could listen to your wonderful story.”

  “It was really a wonderful thing you did,” Selectman Corinne Riley chimed in. “It’s great to have a good friend next to you that did the whole hundred miles with you,” she added.

  “Hats off! … great job and thank you both,” Selectman Jeffrey Cicolini declared.

  “I get exhausted just listening to what you’re doing,” Selectman Michael Serino quipped. “I’ll stick with 45 minutes on my elliptical machine. That’s it for me.”

  The runner’s feat also impressed Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree, who hailed it as “a phenomenal accomplishment.” “Certainly something that’s mind over matter,” Crabtree said. The town manager said it was “incredible” and “impressive” what Montella was able to accomplish while raising funds to assist youth and veterans.

  Montella told the board that his goal was to complete the run in less than 30 hours and he and Santullo wound up finishing in 27 hours and seven minutes.

  Besides his herculean effort to honor Saugus veterans with a run that encompassed the Saugus segment of the Northern Strand Community Trail, Montella said, it also helped raise $12,000 for his Woburn-based nonprofit. The race was a fundraiser for Mission Ready, a nonprofit organization he created with a goal to provide military veterans and at-risk students who lack financial resources an opportunity to gain strength and a purpose in life through fitness training at his Woburn gym, The Way LLC.