Freehold, NJ resident Frankie Aniello ran on the JAR of Hope teams in the Grand2Grand Ultra in 2018 and 2022. But injuries prevented him from finishing either one. Nonetheless, he was a proud member of the JOH team again at this past September’s G2G. And this time, he finished the entire 171 miles, through inhospitable landscapes and huge swings in daily temperatures! 

For Frankie, it was the topping-off of a fantastic summer. He married Mary, the love of his life, in June, and became step-daddy to her five-year-old daughter. And in July the couple found out they were going to have a baby.  

“In the 2018 G2G, I lasted only two-and-a-half days,” he says. “My feet were literally melting with blisters. And in 2022, I suffered a severe ankle sprain and had to drop out. But Mary is a great athlete and a cross-country runner, and she trained me so well for this past one that I was able to finally cross the finish line!”

Frankie got involved with JAR of Hope seven years ago, after watching a video about Jim Raffone and his efforts to find a cure for kids with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 

“Now that I’ve been involved with Jim Raffone and JAR of Hope for some years,” he says, “I’m going to continue that involvement until there’s a cure for Duchenne…no matter how long it takes. Jim Raffone is inspiring beyond belief. How can you not want to help someone who’s devoting his whole life to saving children?”

“I can’t even imagine what it’s like to have a child with Duchenne md,” Frankie says. “I had never heard of Duchenne before I met Jim. But what he does – and the way he does it – inspires everyone around him. Including Mary, too - when I told her JAR of Hope needed runners for the New York City Half-Marathon, she volunteered right away! And I know people who’ve donated to JAR of Hope because of her efforts.”

Frankie says he was in a “dark place” when he didn’t finish the race in 2018…and he admitted to himself that he hadn’t prepared the way he should have. He was prepared in 2022, but the ankle injury kept him from finishing. And he attributes part of his success this past September to the constant support of teammate Leanne Richardson.  

“My life totally changed after meeting Jim Raffone,” he says. “I became much more aware of what’s really important in life. JAR of Hope has helped me become more aware of the importance of helping people who need it.”

Frankie’s even received JOH donations from people he’s never met, or even spoken with. And, like every other member of the six-person JOH team at the G2G Ultra, he mentions Jim’s speech on the morning of the Long Stage – the most difficult day of the seven-day event - as a personal turning point.

“Jim’s talk to us that morning lit a fire under me,” Frankie Aniello says. “And I realized that this time, nothing was going to stop me from finishing the race. It was one of the most powerful speeches I’ve ever heard. It really stirred my emotions – and my confidence.” 

He didn’t buy the photo package offered at the start of the G2G…because he didn’t want to assume he’d finish. He adds that when he received his emails before the Long Stage on the third day, they were filled with friends and family telling him he could do it. And now, his name will forever be among those who’ve finished this race. 

“My first run for JAR of Hope was a 5K stadium run several years ago,” Frankie says, “and I thought I would die. But eventually I did a marathon for them. And when I finished the 

G2G Ultra in September…I calculated it was about a half-million steps. And the feeling of doing it to help children was one of the most empowering feelings I’ve ever had.”

Frankie Aniello and Jim Raffone celebrating success at last September’s G2G Ultra event. 

Frankie says since he first met Jim, he’s been involved in more runs for JOH than he can probably count. Everything, as he notes, from “tough mudders” to G2G’s. 

“Seeing Jim’s dedication to his son – and the other kids with Duchenne – gave me a greater perspective about what’s really important in life,” he notes. “And I can only hope to be as dedicated a Dad as he is.”

He says that when Dillon Doeden, another team member, was injured in the G2G Ultra, he asked Frankie to finish with the “Team Connor” banner, in honor of Dillon Doeden’s six-year-old son with Duchenne. And he was honored to carry Team Connor’s banner across the finish line. 

Next year’s event is being called by JAR of Hope “The Last Dance,” because it’s the last G2G in which the foundation will participate. 

“Now that my life is changing so much, September was probably my own ‘Last Dance’ in the G2G, as well,” Frankie says. “But it’s far from my last dance with Jim Raffone and JAR of Hope.

“The race for a cure for Duchenne is a race I’ll definitely be in until the finish line!”