Leanne Loney will run her 37th marathon in Boston
"This experience made me more determined than ever to one day run the Boston Marathon."
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: Leanne Loney
Age: 43
From: Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
I am running the 2023 Boston Marathon for A Leg Forever. I was inspired to run for them after I missed qualifying for Boston by 24 seconds because of a local runner friend who lost his leg in a boating accident up in Val-d’Or. Back in 2021, I ran the marathon as a virtual runner and then volunteered in the bus zone during the Boston Marathon. This experience made me more determined than ever to one day run the Boston Marathon on Marathon Monday. Being so close, yet 24 seconds too slow, I changed my personal goal to running to help others. I needed help myself in Dec. 2022. I was intubated and in a coma for five days because I was hit with influenza, septic shock and bacterial pneumonia. After two and a half weeks in the ICU, I was sent home to continue my recovery. This experience made me more determined than ever to make it to the start line of the Boston Marathon on April 17th and then somehow to get to the finish line. The return to running is a slow one. I am relying on my marathon experience of having already run 36 marathons, with 10 of those last year, to get me through Boston. My mileage is slowly building up again but running has been altered to allow for my lungs and heart to continue to heal. My original goal of 3:40 is impossible now because of my recovery so I have switched my focus to survival and to enjoy my first ever Boston Marathon experience while representing A Leg Forever.
Editor’s note: Entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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