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Boston Marathon race director to run with his 3 kids — and astronaut Sunita Williams
Dave McGillivray will run his 54th Boston Marathon with three of his kids and longtime friend, retired astronaut Sunita Williams.
When runners line up for the 2026 Boston Marathon next month, one of the race’s most familiar figures will once again be among them. But for longtime race director Dave McGillivray, this year’s run will carry special meaning.
McGillivray, 71, plans to run his 54th Boston Marathon while sharing the course with three of his children: Max, Luke, and Elle McGillivray.
Before he begins the race himself, McGillivray will carry out his longtime responsibilities coordinating the start in Hopkinton — sending off wheelchair athletes, handcycle competitors, elite runners, and the first two waves of participants — before joining with his children.
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For McGillivray, the marathon has been a defining thread throughout his life. His connection to the race began in 1972, when he attempted to run it as a 17-year-old unregistered participant.
“I was a senior in high school, and I just said I wanted to run in it,” he recalled in an interview with Boston.com. “Long story short, I dropped out in the hills in Newton.” He didn’t complete the race, and was taken by ambulance to Newton-Wellesley Hospital, he said. Still, he vowed to give it another shot.
He returned the next year in 1973 determined to finish — despite getting sick the day before the race, and being dissuaded from competing by his parents.
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“I’m running, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, my parents are right. I shouldn’t be in this race.’ I was struggling and struggling, and I got to the point where I dropped out the year before, and I’m doing a survivor shuffle over the hills in Newton,” he said with a laugh.
He eventually finished the race, and the experience cemented a promise he has kept ever since.
“I said to myself, when I finished, I’m going to run this race every year for the rest of my life. I’ve run it, one way, shape or form, for the last 53 years in a row,” he said.
The race also carries deep personal meaning tied to McGillivray’s grandfather, who had encouraged him to train properly after his first failed attempt, but died soon after the race. His grandfather is buried at Evergreen Cemetery along the marathon route, and McGillivray pays a simple tribute to him every year.
“Every time I run by the cemetery in the marathon, I wave to my grandfather — thanks for the inspiration, grandpa — and just keep on going and finish,” he said.
Family has become an increasingly central part of the experience. While Dave, Max, Luke, and Elle will run, another son Ryan McGillivray, and his wife, Courtney, will be working the race.
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“It’s definitely a family affair, and it’s in our DNA,” McGillivray said. “The Boston Marathon is part of our family… it’s a good feeling.”
This year’s race will also honor the memory of Susan Hurley, founder of CharityTeams and McGillivray’s ex-wife, who died in November 2025 after battling ovarian cancer. Hurley’s work helped expand charity participation in the Boston Marathon, connecting hundreds of runners with philanthropic causes.
Several members of the McGillivray family are dedicating their races to causes important to them. Max McGillivray is raising funds for the Justice Health Initiative to support medical care for children from underserved countries, while Elle McGillivray is fundraising for the Finish Strong Foundation’s “Running Is a Right” program, which provides prosthetic running blades to young athletes.
Adding another unique dimension to the race this year will be the participation of retired NASA astronaut Sunita Williams. Williams famously ran the 2007 Boston Marathon on a treadmill aboard the International Space Station while orbiting Earth. She is running on the Finish Strong Foundation’s team this year.
McGillivray said their friendship began years ago through the Falmouth Road Race, where her family lives. After returning from a nine-month stay in space last year, Williams told McGillivray she hoped to run the race again — this time on Earth. He asked if she wanted to run on his foundation’s charity team and she accepted.
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“It’s pretty cool that she’s going to start with us in the back of Wave 2,” McGillivray said.
For McGillivray, the convergence of family, charity, and longtime friends will make this year’s race especially memorable.
“It’ll be a big day for the McGillivray family,” he said.
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