Equity Cabinet Highlights Runners for the Boston Marathon

This year we decided to work with eight community-led running organizations that represent Boston's diverse city!

Boston shuts down every year to embrace its world's best-ranking (and oldest) annual 26.2-mile marathon. Marathons are also historically expensive and timely. Multiple items are required to run and recover effectively: registration fees, shoes, athletic gear, sunscreen, energy chews, hydration tablets, balm to prevent chafing, foam rollers, training plans, and more! This widens the gap for people from different walks of life to compete in the sport of running.

Last year we followed Jesus Emmanuel Morales Martinez and Abdi Ali, two community runners from Boston. Both shared their experience running their first marathon. Here are three things they shared:

This year we decided to work with eight community-led running organizations that represent Boston's diverse city! Our 11 runners will pave the way for the next generation of runners by:

The Equity and Inclusion Cabinet aims to promote health and wellness in diverse communities that historically experience gaps in care. We believe amplifying runners' stories will inspire others to prioritize their physical and mental health.

Carla is 57 wonderful years old and enjoys traveling, volunteering, running, roller skating, and spending as much time as possible with her friends and family. She started running 5k charity runs, in honor of her mom who passed away from leukemia. In 2013, she was out at a company-run event and met a group of ladies from BlackGirlsRun! They encouraged her to keep pushing, so she signed up for a 10k, and half marathon, and now in 2023, to run the Boston Marathon. This 26.2 will be in honor of her 26-year-old niece who died in a car crash over the summer of 2022. She was a school teacher and she also enjoyed teaching children to swim.

Olivia is new to running and completely looking forward to this experience. She started running during the pandemic. This routine has become a crucial part of her health journey and appreciates the running community that motivates her to stay fit.

Victor is a devoted husband and proud father of three boys! A few years ago, you couldn't pay Victor to run! He first began running after a dear friend began training due to a health scare. He started following BlackMenRun's national page and joined a virtual run. They have built a brotherhood and keep each other grounded. The group has been supporting him to meet his goal to get to the finish line as he recovers from a calf injury.

Andre is the founder of LiveFitArmy and came to the U.S. at the age of 13 from Jamaica. He's always been into fitness and promotes health and wellness in his community by motivating others to join him and build friendships. Running the Boston Marathon means representing the communities he grew up in, Hyde Park and Mattapan. His goal this year is to beat his time.

Jeff is an electric go-getter and started running during COVID-19 through positive peer pressure. He went from running once a week to his first 5k months later. After that, he was hooked! Running provides an opportunity to push himself with no room for comparison. The Boston Marathon is an opportunity for him to represent his neighborhood, Hyde Park, next to the other 30,000 international runners. As a personal trainer, he has seen all the support community health and running organizations turn out for their runners, he can't wait to be on the other side receiving all the cheering and confetti.

James believes in celebrating people's differences, Autism is his. He is a Marine Corps Veteran, vegan, and a Robot Engineer. He started running to get in better shape and to live longer and better for his two kids, Sophia and Joshua! Running the Marathon will let his kids see their dad accomplish an undoubtedly tough obstacle that will inspire and push them to do what they want in their lives.

Ric is a God-fearing, single father of three. He grew up in Fields Corner and is the founder of 6FitStudio. 6Fit works closely with LFA! He loves coaching individuals to feel better about themselves through fitness and challenging their mindset around health and wellness! He started running during COVID-19 to get out of the house. The Marathon will be completing a childhood dream and also a reminder that hard work and dedication pay off.

Elaine is Greek-American and a long-time Boston resident whose career has touched radio, sports, and finance. She started running later in life, at the age of 45, and battles rheumatoid arthritis, her attitude is simple: "Motion is lotion and not that I "have" to run, but that I "get" to run". Running the Boston Marathon means coming full circle through her community. In 2014, she was a part of the Marathon Wreath Ceremony, where the victory wreaths are cut from olive trees in Greece and dipped in gold are presented to the BAA. Now she is equally as nervous and profoundly honored to repp TrailblazHers Run Co., a community of the most authentically supportive women out there.

Daniela is a licensed mental health therapist and a studio instructor. She works for the Children's Services of Roxbury. The rhythmic pattern of her body in motion became therapeutic as it allowed for self-reflection and a physical outlet for stress. Running the Boston Marathon is a reflection of her strength and self-confidence. Last year, her goal was to run 9 miles and now she is running her first marathon! It is a goal she never imagined was an option, but she thanks Pioneers Run Crew for motivating her to keep going.

KB is a high school English teacher, writer, and board member at Trans Resistance Massachusetts. He started running in college as a way to de-stress and get to know the City. He is honored to be running the Boston Marathon on behalf of Trans Resistance. It's a chance to demonstrate trans belonging in Boston and in sports in a concrete way and to give back to the trans community that has given him so much love and encouragement. It's a way to use his body and ability to demonstrate solidarity. It is a dream, he never expected to come true and is full of gratitude.

Ramón is originally from Mexico and came to Boston in June 2018. After five years of pushing himself out of his comfort zone, he decided to participate in the Immigrants Lead Boston program in the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Advancement and is now approaching one of his biggest dreams ever. Running is his source of energy and motivated him out of his shell.