Why I’m Running: ‘Boston 2025 is my race to come back stronger’
"Every person should run a marathon at least once because of the life lessons it teaches," Claire Coughlin wrote.
In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for Boston.com’s pop-up Boston Marathon newsletter.
Name: Claire Coughlin
Age: 28
City: New York City, New York
Boston 2025 is my race to come back stronger. I’ve previously run the New York City and Queens marathons, and even qualified for Boston in 2023, but had to pull out due to an injury. Being able to run this year is a feeling like no other—and I couldn’t be more excited.
Running has always been a part of my life. Growing up, my mom was a distance runner and my childhood home was also at mile 17 of the New York City Marathon. Marathon Sunday always felt like a holiday—there’s nothing quite like that energy. I ran pretty seriously in high school, but after hip surgery my senior year I had to take a long break. I didn’t get back into running until I was doing Teach for America after finishing college and I quickly fell back in love with the sport I grew up with.
My cousin said something after finishing a race together that has stuck with me: Every person should run a marathon at least once because of the life lessons it teaches. Running reminds me that discipline matters, that you can do hard things, that practice leads to progress, and that setbacks don’t mean failure. These lessons go far beyond running.
For me, running has been a way to show up for myself. Teaching was about giving my best to others, dedicating my energy to helping my students succeed. Running gave me something that was just mine. Even though I’m not in the classroom anymore, I still find that running grounds me. It makes me a better teammate and a better version of myself, both at work and beyond.
The Boston Marathon is iconic; working for Massachusetts-based company, Curriculum Associates, I know what this race means to the city and state. From being a dream race for a lot of people to knowing how many people show up for Marathon Monday, I can’t wait to experience this for myself on the course.
Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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