Twelve days before dropping the puck on his ninth season as head coach at Rensselaer, Seth Appert will take on a whole other challenge - the Adirondack Marathon.

Appert is running his first marathon in honor of Rich Curadi, the father of Engineer senior defenseman Luke Curadi who passed away this summer. Curadi was a member of the U.S. Army and Marines and Appert is raising money on behalf of Defending the Blue Line, an organization that helps children in military families play hockey.

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"It is an honor to continue our work with Defending The Blue Line," said Appert. "Luke started our involvement with the charity 15 months ago and our relationship has grown stronger ever since. I am humbled to run in honor of Rich while continuing the RPI Hockey Family mission of providing hockey opportunities to military families."

The Adirondack Marathon takes place Sunday, Sept. 28, in Schroon Lake, N.Y., about 85 miles north of the Rensselaer campus.

The Engineers begin their season with an exhibition game Oct. 4 before traveling to Notre Dame Oct. 10-12 for the 2014 Ice Breaker Tournament.