If the warm weather in Boston hasn’t been enough of a sign that spring is finally here, then you couldn’t ask for a bigger one with the 130th Boston Marathon.
Stage construction is already underway in Copley Square, and the start and finish line paint is set to dry for Marathon Monday. Professional runners across the globe, from here in North America, all the way to Kenya, Ethiopia, and Slovenia, will take on the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Beantown.
The best in the world will gather in each division, but the pro athletes won’t be the only ones running. About 3,000 charity runners will be participating for their organization of choice, running for loved ones or others facing difficult circumstances.
Emerson men’s cross country co-captain, sophomore Christiano Iannacone from Hingham, will run the Marathon alongside his father and older brother.
Iannacone is no stranger to long courses, having run in the Vienna Marathon in Austria three years ago at just 17 years old, representing the Boston Children’s Hospital Patient Partner program. The program connects marathon runners with patients undergoing treatment at the hospital. This year, he’ll be running for the same organization and the same patient as Vienna: Jace Perkins.
“I got to meet him at a very young age, through my dad since he also runs for Jace,” Iannacone said. “I’m extremely grateful to be running under his name since he fights so hard every day, and I hope I can see him before the marathon.”
Iannacone’s father, Steven Iannacone, has quite the marathon resume, running in his 40th overall race for charity, including Boston this year. He’s participated in all seven of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, including Boston, Tokyo, and London. For Christiano, running alongside his inspiration is going to be a dream come true.
“I’ve always looked up to my dad and it’s a huge honor to receive that legacy from him along with my brother,” Iannacone said. “He’s taught me so much to become a better runner and really enjoy the process since there’s so much that goes into a very demanding sport.”
While Iannacone will be running with his father, sophomore Jordyn Meehan from Harvard University will be running in support of hers.
After a workplace accident resulted in Meehan’s father nearly losing his life and requiring a total knee replacement at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, she learned of the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation. From there, her marathon journey began.
“When we were at one of his doctor’s appointments, I saw a flyer for Stepping Strong and they had applications open for running in the Boston Marathon,” Meehan said in an interview with The Beacon. “I had never considered running a marathon before, no less a world major, but I wanted to take that leap of faith and challenge myself.”
Unlike Iannacone, Meehan has never been big into running, having never competed in college or even high school. But this hasn’t stopped her from preparing for one of the biggest moments of her life.
“The farthest race I’ve competed in was a [5k] turkey trot back in November, but I’ve been working hard and slowly building my way up to 20 miles now,” Meehan said. “Whenever I feel like giving up, I think about all the enormous amount of pain my dad has had to go through and it keeps me going during training and hopefully the race.”
Meehan started to document some of her training runs on social media, raising awareness for her charity to reach the donation goals needed to compete. Opening this door for others to see the story behind the athlete has been more than just documenting the process.
“Organizations that support trauma victims and survivors don’t often get the funding or awareness that they deserve,” Meehan said. “Trauma is one of the leading causes of death in adolescence, so I wanted to spread that awareness online with my platform.”
Emerson public relations major, junior Max Brady-Lewis, recently ran in the Los Angeles Marathon, and documents his own training regimen on social media. Brady-Lewis believes that showing people the steps that go into running a marathon can help inspire others to get active.
“I got DMs from people saying that watching my content was inspiring to get them into the running world and it’s really heartwarming,” Brady-Lewis said. “I always tell people it’s good to start somewhere whether it’s a half mile a day or 10 miles a week. I want people to be inspired to do something hard.”
While he will not be running the marathon, Brady-Lewis will compete in the Boston 5k on Saturday, April 18, and will aim to support a group of friends at the finish line on Boylston Street.
“New England can sometimes get a bad reputation for being very blunt, but we ride or die for our community, especially during the marathon,” Brady-Lewis said, urging students to utilize the day off and participate in Boston culture. “It’s so inspiring for people our age to see others take on such a hard challenge, so go out there with a big sign and support the runners.”
