Readers Say

His mother ran Boston in 1983. Now Joel Johnson is running in her memory.

His mantra to stay motivated: 'I love you mom.'

April 18, 2022

In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon runners share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston.

Name: Joel Johnson
Age: 46
From: Austin, Texas

My mother ran her one and only marathon, in Boston in 1983, when I was eight.

As I watched her finish I remember being awestruck that anybody — my own mom! — could run that far. Not long after this my family moved away from the Boston area. As I continued to grow up in Texas and then Missouri, my memories of Boston, including mom’s marathon, felt almost mythic.

I was fortunate to return for college a decade later, although I was not into running (or any exercise) at the time. My mom’s last time in Boston was my MIT graduation in 1997. She passed away, suddenly, less than two years later.

I had dreamed of running a marathon for years, but doing so felt like an unrealistic fantasy until about five years ago. I knew the time was right when my wife found a marathon that was being run on the 18th anniversary of my mom’s death — a day to celebrate her life.

I signed up right away and started training. I can’t really express in words how meaningful it was to have my kids, ages five and seven at the time, watch me finish.

I’ve since taken more than an hour off of my race time. Qualifying for and running my first Boston Marathon is truly a life goal. Many runners have a mantra they repeat, over and over in sync with their steps, to stay motivated and focused near the end of a race when everything hurts.

Mine is “I love you, Mom.”

Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.