Women find inspiration at Tufts 10K

But yesterday, on a postcard day filled with autumn sunshine, the teacher from Worcester ran and finished the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women for the third year in a row.

“It’s sheer force of will’’ driving her, Pelland’s husband, Daniel, said yesterday.

More than 8,000 women and a handful of men ran the 6.2-mile race through the streets of Boston and Cambridge yesterday. The Tufts 10K has grown into one of the biggest 10k women’s races in the country, exceeding expected participation year after year.

The race, now in its 33d year, draws elite runners from across the country and as far away as Ethiopia and Kenya. Tufts Heath Plan made a $10,000 donation to the American Heath Association.

Runners lined up along Beacon Street at noon. More than 25,000 people cheered them on.

“We couldn’t ask for a better day,’’ 1984 Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson told the crowd at the starting line. “Start strong and win stronger.’’

For most, the day was not about winning times or a $41,150 purse. The throngs of women came to sweat and pound out - or in some cases walk out - the miles and share in the camaraderie of the knowledge that they ran the distance.

One did not have to look far for stories of inspiration.

Cardiologist Malissa Wood, a board member of the Boston-area American Heart Association, ran this year’s race and improved her finish time.

She touted the health benefits of running and all other aerobic exercise because of the way it helps blood vessels function. But what inspired her to run was a patient, who at age 42 suffered a heart attack last year. Wood said the patient had signed up to run the race this year.

“She didn’t let it hold her back,’’ Wood said.

Rick Poff of Littleton cheered for his wife of three months, Linda Haines, 51. Poff said the race was his wife’s first since a major skiing accident last winter at Breckenridge Mountain in Colorado that left her on crutches for months. Poff said his wife’s recovery through rehabilitation was “miraculous’’ as she worked full time, volunteered at her church, and made time for her four adult children.

“I’m very proud of her,’’ Poff said. “She’s spent a lot of her life giving to other people. I’m here to support her.’’

For Pelland, the race was about proving to others - and herself - what she can accomplish.

She was 12 and on a camping trip with her parents in a remote corner of Canada when she temporarily lost the ability to walk and talk.

She said the stroke had been the equivalent of a massive electrical shock that “messed up her body’s wiring.’’

For years she took dance classes as a means of physical therapy. She learned to write with her left hand. In 2001, she graduated from Clark University in Worcester with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in urban education.

Pelland said she never thought she could run a marathon until she heard another stroke victim tell his story several years ago.

She was so inspired, she signed up for a training group and ran her first race, a marathon, five months later. She’s been running marathons and road races ever since.

Sitting on Boston Common after the race yesterday, Pelland said the challenges have offered tremendous rewards.

“It’s still a struggle,’’ she said. “I’ve learned my limitations and my strengths. And I have strengths I didn’t know about.’’

Megan Woolhouse can be reached at mwoolhouse@globe.com.