Readers Say

Emily Bennewies has been waiting all her life to run Boston

"It has been a gift to continue to pound the pavement in what has now become the most challenging year of my life."

Emily Bennewies took time off running to focus on starting a family. After dealing with a "complex case of infertility," she's back to run Boston.

By Zipporah Osei

September 20, 2021

1 minute to read

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 #WhyImRunningBoston story here.

Name: Emily Bennewies
Age: 31
From: Boston

I was born and raised in Boston and made it my mission to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which I finally did at the Eugene Marathon in 2019 for the 2020 race. I participated in the virtual marathon and was thrilled to receive my medal, despite my deep disappointment that the race didn’t happen in person.

I had written off the 2021 race, thinking that if the field size was cut I likely wouldn’t get in and shifted gears to finally start a family — something I had put off to achieve my running goals. We started trying to conceive the day after my virtual race in September 2020 with no luck. After a battery of appointments and tests, I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor called a prolactinoma, which was influencing my hormones and has made me unable to conceive.

Fortunately, I do have the opportunity to run the 2021 Boston Marathon, and I’m doing it for me — to feel like myself. After freezing embryos via IVF in June, my doctor gave me the all-clear to run and train while we treat this issue. It has been a gift to continue to pound the pavement in what has now become the most challenging year of my life, having discovered my complex case of infertility. I look forward to finally crossing that finish line in person.

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