Mickey Schneider of Northampton wanted to give back to the city of Boston after the Boston Marathon bombings. So he decided to run.

Last month, Schneider participated in the One Run For Boston, which took him nine miles from Ashfield to Walnutport.

One Run For Boston is a cross country relay that makes its way from Los Angeles to Boston.

The relay was organized by three runners from the United Kingdom – Kate Treleaven, Danny Bent and Jamie Hay. Treleaven and Bent drove cross country from Los Angeles to Boston to meet the runners and support them throughout the relay.

Stages are set up throughout the course where runners are replaced on an ongoing basis.

Schneider, who graduated from Clemson University in 2011 with a degree in the health sciences field, has connections to Boston.

He attended Boston University as a graduate student for two years, taking physical therapy courses.

"I lived in Boston," he said. "I've seen the devastation. I have a lot of friends who ran the Boston Marathon. It [One Run For Boston] was a way to give back to the city of Boston and those affected by the bombings."

Schneider said he developed an interest in running by happenstance. He said about a year ago he began doing cardio-type exercises which helped him lose 60 pounds. After months of doing cardio, it was time for a change. Just four months ago, he began running for leisure.

To train for his share of the One Run For Boston, he began running throughout the week to build up his endurance.

"I was preparing to run a half marathon [13.1 miles]," he said. "I trained by running 25 miles per week for 10 weeks, running four days and resting three days per week."

While running his share of nine miles June 28, Schneider said he thought about those affected by the Boston Marathon bombings as well as the other runners participating in the relay.

"During the run, I honestly thought of all the people that were affected by the Boston Marathon bombings and to push on like they have in the past few months," he said. "I also thought about all the runners that were participating in the One Run for Boston and how I am doing my small part in this great cause."

Schneider said participating in the run was a meaningful experience.

"There was a lot of anxiety and a lot of emotion waiting for the next person," he said. "They [runners] put in a lot of time and energy to show they cared. I just felt like I could do something small to give back to the community."

Schneider said two of his friends ran with him for support during the relay.

Currently, Schneider continues running 25 miles a week. His breaks up his running into different segments.

"My goal is to run a half marathon," he said.

To date, 2,022 people have raised $82,539 for One Run For Boston.

To learn more about One Run For Boston or to donate, visit the organization's website at http://onerunforboston. org/.