After postponing the race for two years due to the pandemic, the Boston Marathon made a comeback this year with CCAHS health teacher and track coach, Megan Miller, as a competitor. Known as one of the world’s most famous and oldest annual marathons, competitors from all over gather in Massachusetts for this race. To qualify, a person has to have run a previous marathon under a certain time based on their age and gender in order to be accepted into the race. After running her qualifying time in September of 2021 in Geneva, Illinois, Miller was set to compete in Boston. 

Miller was able to finish this year’s Boston Marathon with a time of 3:27.46. Approximately 30,000 participants began the race in the town of Hopkinton and finished on Boylston Street in Boston, MA. For Miller, running this year’s marathon was a different experience from when she had previously participated back in 2018. Due to the bad weather during the race, she was unsure of what was happening when she ran four years ago. However, coming back this year has given her the true Boston Marathon experience. “Everyone says the Boston atmosphere is unlike anything else, and it really is!” she stated.  

By counting down the miles and keeping track of nutrition she was able to keep herself busy as she ran. But seeing and listening to the supporters was also a big help during the race. “I had so much fun reading signs, giving random kids high-fives, and just having fun along the way. I was even smiling most of the time!!” she shared. 

Running in general is a challenge for many people, let alone running a marathon. It is like a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings for a runner. “It’s a total mental game,” stated Miller. “You just have to trust your training and tell your mind that you can keep going, even when you just want to stop.” While it’s a long and grueling process, Miller believes it’s a “rewarding experience” to be able to finish a marathon after all the hard work put in. “I always have the biggest smile coming down the last stretch.”

Like many runners, Miller began her love for long distance running back in high school during Track and Field where she usually ran 1600 and 3200 meter races. She continued Track and Field during her college years, specializing in the 3k steeplechase and the 5k. It wasn’t until after college that she tried running her first marathon. Miller stated, “I planned to just do one as a little bucket list goal, but then I realized I loved training and competing so I just kept running more!”. With passion for running and a new found love for marathons, she worked her way up to being able to compete at races like the Boston Marathon. 

After finishing nine marathons so far, she has decided to take some time off from the intensive training to relax and continue running for fun. Nevertheless, Miller still has plans to run more marathons in the near future. Currently, she is considering entering next year into the Chicago Marathon. While she has the opportunity to enter into the Boston race again next year with her qualifying time, she has stated that she plans on taking a break from the race and might come back some day. Miller is still ambitious and ready to push herself even harder in her future races. Completing a triathlon is on her agenda as her next big challenge.

All runners start off somewhere, and being a beginner isn’t easy. “The first step is always the hardest. Once you get going, it gets way more enjoyable, even on days that you don’t necessarily want to run,” Miller shares. As a goal-oriented person, some advice she recommends to any beginner runners is to set small and easy goals to help boost confidence and motivate. “Trust the process, and realize you can do whatever you set your mind to.”