Matt Vilardo was 14 when he ran with his father for the first time on September 10, 2001. Joseph Vilardo was killed the next day in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Matt used running to cope with his grief and depression. Now Matt has opened an athletic store, Root Runners. The name stands for Running Over Our Troubles.
“I want to inspire people to become active through running, and I want to educate people on the benefits it has on mental illness,” he told Laurie Gordon of the Sparta Advertiser-News.
