Meet this year’s youngest Boston Marathon runner
Annabel Silbersher turned 18 the day before the Boston Marathon.
Annabel Silbersher marked her 18th birthday not with a party, but by lacing up for her first Boston Marathon — crossing the age threshold in time to compete just the day before this year’s race.
“It was truly one of the most incredible days ever,” Silbersher said Tuesday in a phone call to Boston.com. “The Boston energy was amazing.”
Crossing the finish line was “pure joy,” said Silbersher, who was still running high on the runner’s energy a day after.
Silbersher, a senior at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y., ran as part of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. At the end of the race on Monday, she raised over $20,000 for the foundation.
She garnered donations from friends, family, and the foundation’s community.
Silbersher said she watched “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” a documentary about the American actor Christopher Reeve, after a horse-riding accident left him paralyzed and his work as an activist for disability rights.
“I was immediately so inspired by the work that Christopher and Dana Reeve did to not only support care for paralysis, but also to try to invest in research to find a cure,” Silbersher said.
She emphasized the importance of raising money for the nonprofit, which will be able to support these causes as federal funding may become limited.
“It feels so great to be able to give back in that way,” she said.
Silbersher started running during the COVID-19 pandemic with her Dad and continued after as a hobby.
She has been training since January, following a regimen of five miles three times a week, with a longer run on the weekends.
Silbersher said she has already been running for a long time, so adding to the regime wasn’t tricky. But it has been hard balancing school and training. She has had to squeeze in runs before or after school and on weekends.
The second she crossed the finish line, she asked herself, “When am I next doing this again?” already looking to the Chicago or New York City marathons, saying she would love to run for Team Reeves again.
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