Runner Tim Borland, center, pushes Andrew Martin, of Providence, yesterday during his 62nd marathon-length run. Andrew, who has A-T, a genetic childhood disease, and his dad, Tim, left, joined Borland for the last three miles of his run.

The Providence Journal / John Freidah

PROVIDENCE — The dreary weather yesterday didn’t stop endurance coach Tim Borland from completing his 62nd consecutive marathon-length run.

The cause — raising money and awareness for a deadly children’s disease, ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) — was far too great to alter his nationwide plan, 63 marathons in 63 days. He began at Disneyland, in California, on Sept. 3, and the final 26-mile run is in New York City today.

“The challenges I will face in running these marathons will pale in comparison to those faced by the families who run the daily ‘marathon’ against A-T,” Borland, 31, from California, said previously.

The A-T Children’s Project organization says A-T is a rare, fatal genetic disease that is like four diseases in one. It combines symptoms of cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and cancer. The organization also said children with A-T are usually confined to wheelchairs by age 10 and often do not survive their teens.

Borland, who first began running in the late 1980s to lose weight, teamed up with the organization after meeting a family and their 15-year-old daughter who had the disease. He said her “incredible sense of spirit” made him want to raise awareness and money for research.

“Having a child with A-T affects the entire family,” said Cathy Martin, of Providence, who helped coordinate yesterday’s Rhode Island run, in Roger Williams Park. Her 8-year-old son, Andrew, has the disease. “It has been extremely difficult for us to watch as Andrew continues to struggle in his daily routine. Most statistics don’t hold much promise for A-T kids to live past their teens,” Martin said in Borland’s news release.

She continued, “Faced with that brutal reality, our focus is to make every day for Andrew as fun and happy as possible. I am sure I speak for all A-T families in saying we are so thankful” for what Borland has done.

For more information on Borland, the disease and the marathon tour, visit www.atcp .org.

apina@projo.com