Homeless runner Ronnie Goodman longed to run in the San Francisco Marathon in July. His story so touched the race's organizers that they have made him a special part of the event.

Not only that, readers pooled their resources, after The S.F. Chronicle ran a story, so they could pay the $120 entry fee for the 53-year-old artist who sleeps under a San Francisco freeway.

Now, race organizers are featuring him as a fund-raiser for one of his favorite organizations — Hospitality House, a homeless resource center whose community arts program has helped Goodman hone his craft for years.

(READ the story in the San Francisco Chronicle)