Logan Green ’24 is no stranger to the spectacle of the Boston Marathon. He grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts, about half a mile from the course and enjoyed watching the runners and wheelchair racers speed down the hill at mile 15.
On April 17, Green will go from spectator to participant and run in the 127th edition of the Boston Marathon. He is among a handful of Merrimack College students making the trek from Hopkinton to Boston.
“I’m more excited than anything,” said Green, an environmental science major. “I am looking forward to seeing the massive crowds and it will be a day to remember.”
Green got the marathon itch after competing in his first half marathon this past fall. Marathon training is a months-long process that can include long runs of more than 20 miles in a single day. One of his favorite places to run in North Andover are the trails around Lake Cochichewick.
“I enjoy the long runs and seeing the course to experience what I will experience the day of the race,” Green said.
An avid runner in high school, Green said this is an ideal time for him to run a marathon before his senior year at Merrimack. Green will run as part of the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation team, which was established in honor of Glen Doherty, one of the four Americans killed in the 2012 terror attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The foundation raises money to help ease military personnel’s transition to civilian work.
Field hockey teammates Katelyn Bennett ’24 and Cate Buecker ’24 are running their first marathon after Buecker was inspired by social media posts around the 2023 race.
“It was this time last year I said to Katelyn that if we ever get the chance to run the Boston Marathon, we should take it,” said Buecker, a finance major with a minor in data science.
That opportunity came thanks to the Boston Fire Department Relief Fund, which both Bennett and Buecker raised money for. They said they are very grateful to be training and running alongside a friend and teammate.
“If I was by myself I don’t think I would be as motivated,” said Bennett, a biology major with a minor in chemistry. “When you are at Mile 12 in a training run and not feeling too good, it is nice to know the person next to you is probably feeling the same things you are feeling.”
Throughout their training, Bennett and Buecker said they learned quickly how important attention to detail is, from the types of shoes and clothes you wear to hydration.
“Not being prepared can really break a run,” Bennett noted.
And along with the experience and environment of the Boston Marathon, Bennett and Buecker agreed there is one thing, in particular, they are most looking forward to on Marathon Monday: the finish line.
