No letup in Hehn's pursuit of goals

Chelmsford athlete tops $6,000 in Marathon drive

Marathoner Cara Hehn set the pace on a workout run with her Chelmsford High teammates. (Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

The dizziness and shortness of breath began around mile 9. Four miles later, Cara Hehn was lying on the grass, her blood pressure being taken by a nurse, wondering if she would be able to finish her third Boston Marathon - the one that meant the most.

Hehn did not return to the course. She had spent weeks spearheading a fund-raising campaign that defined her drive and dedication to the Marathon. Instead of crossing the finish line, the Chelmsford High senior was taken to MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, where doctors determined the tissue on the left side of her heart was thicker than on the right. She was born with the condition, and it is not a concern.

Hehn was released from the hospital later that day. The next day, she went to a local hospital, where more tests came back normal. A lack of electrolytes in her system caused the dizziness and shortness of breath.

"I'd been drinking water, but not Gatorade, because it reacts weird with my stomach," said Hehn. "I started feeling dizzy, like I was going to pass out, so I stopped at mile 13 [at Wellesley College] and the nurses said my heartbeat was way too fast. I'd passed out before from running, so I knew the symptoms. I don't like it, but if I go back, I would have forced down some Gatorade or something. I was really, really disappointed, but I'm learning young."

At 17, Hehn is young by marathon standards, but those around her are quick to praise the three-sport athlete's maturity. Three weeks before the race, she decided to run for charity. After losing her grandmother to pancreatic cancer a few years ago, Hehn joined the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. Hehn had to raise a minimum of $3,000, and with less than a month to do it, she had her doubters.

"We were nervous about it because that's a lot of money in such a short time," said Hehn's mother, Sharon. "We're saving for two college tuitions, so we told her we just couldn't help her too much, but she said if she fell short, she'd put in the rest. She sets high goals for herself, but she won't talk about them. She worked so hard raising the money. It was so amazing to see."

Hehn raised more than $6,000. She called it "my biggest success of the Marathon. Once I joined the cause, I received so many letters from all over from people thanking me for shedding some light on the issue. It was a bit overwhelming, I never expected that."

Hehn is a distance runner (competing in the 2-mile) on the Chelmsford High varsity girls' outdoor track team. This spring she helped the squad to its first outdoor win over rival Andover.

Last fall, Hehn captained the varsity swimming team to a second-place finish at the state meet. In the winter, Hehn wrapped up her fourth season on the varsity girls' ice hockey team, powering the Lions to the Division 2 quarterfinals. Before joining the spring track team, she played varsity lacrosse for two seasons.

She will attend the University of New Hampshire in the fall, where she will focus on her studies while competing as a club-intramural athlete.

Hehn's versatility runs in the family. Her older sister, Erin, was a runner at Chelmsford and now runs for a club team as a junior at Holy Cross. Her younger sister, Kathleen, is a sophomore at Chelmsford and plays on the basketball and field hockey teams.

The middle Hehn might be the most modest.

"I had no idea she ran the Marathon the first two times, and I've known her since she was in sixth grade," said Chelmsford swim coach Josh Blagg. "She's just not the type to brag about those things. She's an impressive student-athlete, to say the least, but she deflects praise and is a great leader. She wasn't the best swimmer on the team. It's hard to be a great leader when you're not the best, but she got the respect of everyone on that team."

Last year, Hehn completed the Marathon in 3 hours 48 minutes. Since she did not finish this year's race, she will try to qualify for next year's Marathon by running the Lowell Marathon in October.

Two years ago, Hehn ran her first Boston Marathon with her father, Joe, and uncle, Brandon Hehn. Running without a qualifying time, her plan was to run half the Marathon. What happened at the halfway point was a clear indication of Hehn's talent and her pure love of running.

"I remember feeling great," said Hehn of her first Marathon. "I wanted to keep going and my mom and dad argued about whether or not I should. My mom was nervous it wouldn't be good for me, but my dad told her I looked great. I was so oblivious to what was going on. I remember getting to the top of Heartbreak Hill and wondering when it would come. People told me I'd just done it. It was so blisslike; running is so spiritual for me."