‘There is so much life and hope in running – you just keep moving forward’
Kate Leahy is running the 2024 Boston Marathon for the Children's Advocacy Center of Suffolk County.
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. If you’re running the marathon, you can share your story here.
Name: Kate Leahy
Age: 43
From: Scituate
In my early 20s, I was struggling with alcohol and experiencing a lot of despair. Several times a week, I would blearily hop in my beat-up Buick Park Avenue and drive to Hingham Square to meet a lovely woman I met online in a Yahoo running group. I can’t imagine what she made of my noisy car or the cigarette I’d extinguish in my morning Diet Coke before lacing up white Keds sneakers for our run. The magic would happen around mile three when movement would shift something inside of me, and I would get a brief moment of relief from the noise in my head and pain in my heart. Running was my life preserver.
Today, on the verge of celebrating 18 years of sobriety, I’ve ditched the Marlboros and soda, and I have a great pair of running sneakers. I also have the privilege of running my first marathon and raising funds for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, an amazing organization that helps children and families who have experienced abuse and exploitation. What a gift that through the same simple action of putting one foot in front of the other, I can now play a small part in helping others heal. There is so much life and hope in running — you just keep moving forward.
Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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