Boston Marathon

10 runners who will inspire you on Marathon Monday

On Monday, 30,000 runners are set to complete the 26.2 mile race from Hopkinton to Boston.

Ethan Zohn Boston Marathon
Ethan Zohn. Anderson Group Public Relations/Ethan Zohn

By Zipporah Osei

The Boston Marathon is back in person on Patriots Day for the first time in two years, and the field is packed with 30,000 runners set to cross the finish line on Boylston Street. Among those tens of thousands of runners are inspiring stories of triumph, philanthropy, and perseverance. 

This year’s race has drawn runners raising money for cancer research, those returning to the marathon for the first time since surviving the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, athletes with disabilities running to shed light on stigmas, and more. Here are 10 runners whose stories will motivate you this Marathon Monday. 

Ethan Zohn

Ethan Zohn Boston Marathon

Lexington native Ethan Zohn is running the Boston Marathon to celebrate 10 years of being cancer-free. Zohn, who won “Survivor Africa” in 2001, was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer in 2009. When he went into remission in 2012, Zohn decided to push himself by running the 2013 Marathon. He was just two miles from the finish line when the bombs went off. 

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Zohn is fundraising for AKTIV Against Cancer, to inspire cancer survivors like himself to stay active. 

“Running, and running in races, is like freedom,” Zohn told Boston.com.

Sarah Fuller

With this year’s race marking the 50th anniversary of the first official women’s field at the Boston Marathon, Sarah Fuller, the first woman to score in a major conference college football game is running Boston. Fuller was the starting kicker for Vanderbilt University and come Marathon Monday, she’ll be running her first ever marathon to highlight women’s participation in sports. The former kicker is one of eight women running in honor of the first eight female finishers of the Boston Marathon.

Rob Sanchas

Rob Sanchas damaged his eye after a tragic accident while bungee jumping in 1988. Years later, after becoming legally blind, he discovered the joy of running when he heard a speaker at the National Federation of the Blind speak about running while tethered to a guide. Come April 18, Sanchas is running Boston on behalf of Play Brigade, a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for disabled people to enjoy movement and physical activity. 

“They might not be able to change the whole world for people with differing abilities, but they can make participating in the world more enjoyable and fulfilling,” he said. “I am excited to run the Boston Marathon and help make a difference for the Play Brigade and the people they serve.”

Chris Nikic

In 2020, Chris Nikic became the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman and went on to run his first Boston Marathon in 2021. Now, six months later Nikic returns to Boston wearing the symbolic 321 bib. The number stands for March 21, World Down Syndrome Day, as well as the chromosome that causes Down syndrome. The Boston Athletic Association kept the bib specifically for a neurodivergent runner, and Nikic will have the honor of wearing it for his second race. 

Tucker Winstanley

Tucker Winstanley of Concord will be one of the youngest runners in the 2022 Boston Marathon field. The high school junior will turn 18 just three days before the Marathon and is running on behalf of the Corey C. Griffin Foundation. The group raises money to support underprivileged children and their families, as well as those with medical challenges. 

Dylan Vidoli

When New York City firefighter Dylan Vidoli crosses the finish line in Boston it’ll be in honor of firefighters who’ve lost their lives to cancer. Firefighters are at a greater risk for cancer and have a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general public. Vidoli is running the Boston, New York City, and Chicago Marathons this year to raise awareness for this issue. He’s also raising money for DetecTogether, a nonprofit that aims to ensure cancer patients get their diagnosis and start treatment as soon as possible. 

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“As a member of the FDNY, I know that occupational cancer is a critical issue facing firefighters,” he said. “Catching it early can save our lives, and that’s why I’m running the 2022 Boston Marathon on Team DetecTogether.”

Samantha Roecker

Samantha Roecker is a nursing graduate student who will be running Boston dressed in Moxie Scrubs in honor of healthcare workers. Roecker is a long-distance runner and will attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon run in medical scrubs during the Boston Marathon. She’s running for 26.2 Foundation’s Team Inspire and is using the race to raise money for the American Nurses Foundation. 

James Whelan 

Lynnfield native James Whelan is running Boston to raise money for Massachusetts General Hospital as a member of their Fighting Kids’ Cancer, One Step at a Time team. Whelan has lost several family members to cancer and currently has a brother-in-law going through chemotherapy. In an effort to raise as much as he can for the childhood cancer research, Whelan has committed to donating $5 of his own money for every $50 he raises. 

“By running this marathon, I want to show these children that they are not alone and that they will always have people out there looking out for them and hoping for their recovery,” he said. “Running a marathon is nothing compared to what these children have to go through.”

Amy Dowe

In 2013, Amy Dowe’s best friend was one of the people injured by the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Her friend, Roseann, was severely injured and had to amputate one of her legs. In the months after the attack, she was rehabilitated at Spaulding Outpatient Center. While visiting her friend, Dowe met Heather Abbott, another bombing survivor who started The Heather Abbott Foundation. Now, Dowe is running Boston on behalf of the Foundation and wearing the same bib her friend wore during the 2013 marathon.

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“Roseann donated her running bib from the BAA to The Heather Abbott Foundation and I am honored to be wearing that bib this year,” she said. 

Bernard J. Madore

Bernard J. Madore was at the finish line when the bombs went off in 2013. Madore, who is a command sergeant major of the Massachusetts National Guard, worked with first responders to those injured by the blast and has continued to work with survivors of that day. Every year he participates in the Military Friends Foundation’s Tough Ruck, an event sponsored by the Boston Athletic Association and the National Park Service to recognize the dedication of the military and first responders.

“Taking part in the Tough Ruck helps me to deal with the memories that I have from being at the finish line that day, remember the people who were impacted by the Marathon bombings,” he said. “It enables us to continue to honor the memories of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and way of life.”