The Big Boston Weekend Race Report: April 18-20, 2026

The Big Weekend Race Report: April 18-20, 2026

Where to start?  Let’s go with the 14-strong volunteer crew at the convention center, representing Liberty at packet/number pickup.  In no particular order, there were:

 Jessica Bodner, Maria Zullo, Orlee Berlove, Julie Menosky, Maria Rojas Duran, Jen Hood-DeGrenier, Carrie Benedon, Kaileigh Maguire, Loomis, Jamie McLaughlin, Laurie McDonough, Priscilla Karnovsky, Viki Bok and Melanie MacFarlane.  (There are a gazillion great photos of this group and of all the weekend’s events posted to Slack.)

Saturday was a morning for two traditional races, the BAA 5K and the Lexington 5-miler.  In the latter, Pauline Entin won a competitive 50-59 division in a fine 35:26.  Meanwhile, back at the Common, five (that we know of) Liberty runners raced in the former, none of whom could find each other afterwards amidst the huge crowds: Jennifer Hood-DeGreiner (22:42, 15th 50-54); Jackie Shakar (23:06, 3rd 65-69); Kaileigh Maguire (24:37, 95th 30-34); Ashley Robbins 24:57, 117th 30-34); Anne Shreffler 25:21 (7th 65-69).  Jackie and Anne both finished ahead of one Joan Benoit Samuelson in the 65-69 division, something that nobody can ever take away from them!

And yes, there was another marathon on Saturday, the fourth (we think?) 26.Dru, er, 26.True two-looper Tour de Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Mattapan and Dorchester.  The official Liberty support station (8.5/21M) in Dorchester consisted of Joanne Hill, Catherine Xie, Margaret Keaveny, Caitlin Sweeney, Maria Rojas Duran, Laurie McDonough, and eventually Anne Shreffler, whose Uber couldn’t get her to the Liberty spot in time and who went to straight to the finish area instead.  Dru Pratt Otto looked great all the way, those hot-pink calf-socks making her easy to spot.  “Old” friends and Pioneers Alia Qatarneh and Jeanne Po were also on the scene, and I have a feeling that Vicky Shen was too but I just didn’t see her?  This race improves each year: it began with almost a flash mob kind feeling and out of necessity has progressed into a well-organized and -supported alternative event.  While it remains unsanctioned and uncertified and there’s no time clock, volunteers were numerous and enthusiastic, traffic control and signage were good, and on the parts of the course (at least half I’d guess) that I ran I didn’t see anyone running in the street.

But we’re not done, folks.  There was something on Monday, and there’s hardly a need any longer to try describing the Boston Marathon in words.  (Here’s where being able to view photos on Slack really helps.)  To start, here are the numbers: Amanda Perri, 3:05:39 (1:33:57-1:31:42, a 2:15 negative split); Veronique Vanderhorst 3:27:44 (1:44:42-1:45:02); Madeline Miller 3:30:24 (1:45:42-1:44:42, 1:00 negative split); Ashley Robbins 3:40:45 (1:47:53-1:52:52); Jennifer Stewart 3:34:26 (1:46:07-1:57:19); Maureen Speedy Larkin 3:43:27 (1:45:49-1:57:38); Sarah Hutchinson 3:44:57 (1:49:51-1:55:06); Mary Cass 4:05:21 (1:57:48-2:07:32); Margaret Keaveny 4:19:37 (2:01:39-2:17:58).  Veronique and ‘Speedy’ were 54th and 79th in their respective 10-year age groups.   It’s been in my mind lately that it’s been a long time since a Liberty runner broke 3 hours, and that maybe someone from our current generation should take a crack at it.  Well, Amanda came very close, averaging 7:05/mile.  Her large negative split shows good pace sense on this mercurial course, and that there’s more there.  (Few marathons have point-to-point tailwinds, but results like this have to get runners thinking.)  Oh, and Maria Zullo’s husband Barry Sussman broke his goal by :01 in 3:17:59 (91st M60-69).

Liberty support, as usual, went up and down the length of the course: we’re aware of Kathleen Kearnan, Helen Bresler and Loomis in Framingham, also Kara Brown + sister, Caitlin Sweeney, Vicky Shen, Orlee Berlove and, at the 21M top-of-Heartbreak spot, Catherine Xie, Sara Vannah, Joanne Hill, Karen Lein, Laurie McDonough, Anne Shreffler plus whoever I may be forgetting.  On this unforgettable day.

Well done in every way, Liberty athletes/supporters!