Running the Boston Marathon is the pinnacle for any long-distance runner no matter their experience. Whether it’s the first, third or sixth time, running the 26.2 mile route is a check off the bucket list.
Several Islanders joined the more than 30,000 people who ran the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boylston street in the Boston Marathon Monday. For Vineyarders Nisa Webster, Chris Cajolet and Donna Creighton, the lead-up to Monday’s race was filled with preparation and excitement.
“I’m just excited to have my turn and be part of that crowd and accomplish something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now,” Ms. Webster, who is ran her first Boston Marathon, said.
She started running longer distances during the Covid-19 pandemic and became a regular at the Amity Island Running Club. She has participated in the New York and Chicago marathons, and most recently ran the Tokyo Marathon in March.
“The marathon is sort of just like the icing on the cake,” Ms. Webster said. “The training is a goal and a focus and a way to push myself to places I didn’t know I could go, and challenge myself to try just a little harder, go just a little faster. There’s something just really magical in that.”
She finished the Boston Marathon with a time of 3:32:01, averaging at 8:06 per mile.
Running his third Boston Marathon, Mr. Cajolet credited the running club as a support system.
“The Amity Island running group were a big inspiration for doing this distance and getting to marathon level,” he said.
The satisfying feeling of finishing a marathon and completing such a goal pushes Mr. Cajolet through his training.
“I’m a bit of a procrastinator in life, and it’s an event that doesn’t really allow you to do that [because] we’re planning six months to a year out,” he said. “Having a group of people that are similarly motivated is really a key.”
Even before running the marathon, the event has always been a part of Mr. Cajolet’s life.
“My mom had always been a huge fan of the Boston Marathon,” he said. “Even though she never partook, she would be glued to the screen. She had MS and had difficulty with movement, so she was just riveted by the athletes. She passed four years ago, and it was always something that I felt like I wanted to do in her honor.”
Finishing with a time of 3:25:50 — a personal best for him on the Boston route — Mr. Cajolet was honored to be a part of the day.
“It’s always such an incredible experience and it was fun to experience the race with other people who were doing it for the first time,” he said. “The energy of the crowds were really something.”
Ms. Creighton, who ran the Boston race in 4:08:48, is no stranger to marathons. This year’s Boston Marathon was the 18th marathon she’s completed overall and seventh in Boston.
She started running shorter races like fun runs when her sons were little. The journey is now cyclical, as her son will be running alongside her in the Chicago Marathon in the fall.
“I would show up and run a 5K pushing the jogger and I’d never run [otherwise],” she recalled with a laugh. “You can do that when you’re in your 20s and 30s. Later [in my] 40s, my husband was the one that said he always wanted to run a marathon.”
Through years of injuries and setbacks in her training, the atmosphere of the Monday in April keeps her coming back.
“The Boston people have heart,” she said. “The Boston people are in your face. Each person, they’re like, you got this. When I finish the race, the thing that hurts the most is my cheeks from smiling.”
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