Around Town

Watertown Woman Running First Marathon & Raising Money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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Watertown-native Despina Najarian will be running the 2025 Boston Marathon for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. A Watertown resident who had not been a runner until two years ago will be running the 2025 Boston Marathon and will raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Despina Najarian said she has always dreamed of completing a marathon, but only recently began running. “I only started running 2 years ago at the age of 29. I joined Orangetheory Fitness Waltham in November of 2022,” she said.

Schools

Pair of Watertown Educators Running 2025 Boston Marathon For Causes Close to Them

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Watertown educators Cheryl Wermer, left, and Maureen Murphy — pictured with her four children — will run the 2025 Boston Marathon. UPCOMING FUNDRAISER: Get Lively Health & Fitness Studio in Watertown will host a fundraising workout class for Boston Marathon runners Maureen Murphy and Cheryl Wermer’s charities. Also, Whiting Pond, will provide free charcuterie cups for all guests. All proceeds will go to Children’s Hospital and FamilyAid. The workout class Saturday, Feb. 8 at 10:30 a.m.

(See the original story from Jan. 15, 2025 bel0w)

Two Watertown Public School employees have set their sites on the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Copley Square this year, and each will raise money for causes close to their hearts.

Around Town

Watertown Woman Running Boston Marathon to Raise Money for Trauma Recovery Center

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Kailyn Lamb can be seen training with her dog Bruce in preparation for the 2025 Boston Marathon. (Contributed Photo)

Watertown’s Kailyn Fitzhugh will be taking on Heartbreak Hill and the Boston Marathon for the first time in the 2025, and will raise money for an organization that helps trauma patients recover from their injuries. Fitzhugh moved to Watertown three years ago, but she has had her eye on the Marathon even before then. “I first ran Boston virtually during COVID. I was living in Tennessee at the time and didn’t think I would be able to ever run Boston, so I took advantage of the open virtual race in 2021,” she said “We moved here to Watertown about three years ago and it’s been my goal to run Boston ever since!”

Around Town

16 Watertown Residents Joining the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk

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The following announcement was provided by the Jimmy Fund:

Sixteen Watertown residents, along with thousands of other walkers, will participate in The Jimmy Fund Walk. The iconic annual event will unite the community to raise funds to support all forms of adult and pediatric care and research at the nation’s premier cancer center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Walk has raised more than $176 million for Dana-Farber in its 35-year history, raising a record-breaking $9.4 million in 2023. 

“For 35 years, the Jimmy Fund Walk has continuously supported lifesaving research and cancer care at Dana-Farber. Our goal is to build off of the momentum we’ve established throughout that history, and in 2024, aim to surpass our total from last year by raising $9.5 million,” says Caitlin Fink, assistant vice president of event fundraising. “Fighting cancer is what we do.

Sports

See How Runners From Watertown Finished in the 2024 Boston Marathon

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The fastest Watertown runner in the 2024 Boston Marathon finished in under 2 hours 35 minutes on Monday, and the fastest female runner finished in the top 115 in the women’s race. Thirty residents of Watertown started the 128th Boston Marathon. As of 5:13 p.m., 28 of the local runners had finished the race. Michael Creedon was the top male finisher, and completed the 26.2 miles in 2:34:49. He was the 207th fastest man in the race and 229th fastest overall.

Around Town

MBTA Announces Services for Monday’s Boston Marathon

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The MBTA announced service information on Monday, April 15, the day of the 2024 Boston Marathon. Every year, the MBTA prepares for the Boston Marathon across all departments in many ways. It supports the annual event with increased service to accommodate spectators and runners, acknowledges the crucial role of public transit during this celebratory time, and expresses sincere appreciation for its ridership and dedicated workforce. Behind the scenes, a dedicated team of MBTA leaders from various departments, including operations, track, signals, and safety, will be monitoring the system throughout the day, ready to troubleshoot any unforeseen issues that may arise. The MBTA’s Security team will have representatives in the Unified Coordination Center, located at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters in Framingham, which serves as the central hub for public safety operations on race day. The Transit Police Department will also continue to monitor the system with robust support available as needed. Additional staff and Transit Ambassadors will be strategically positioned throughout the system to assist with passenger flow and answer any questions or concerns from riders. Riders are encouraged to hold handrails and use care and caution while traversing stairs and escalators due to anticipated crowding and high ridership. Additional porters will also proactively identify and address cleaning needs throughout the system, from sweeping floors and disposing of trash to maintaining restrooms and replenishing supplies.

Around Town

Watertown Residents Joining This Weekend’s Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk

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The following announcement was provided by the Jimmy Fund:

Twenty-three residents from Watertown will participate in the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai on Sunday, October 1. Yi Zhang, Kristen Akelian, Samuel Truesdell, Alice McDonald, Thomas Opar, Lisa Soo Hoo, David Morris, Jaclyn Landauer, Rosalie de Beaumont, Michelle Murdock, and 13 additional Watertown residents along with thousands of other walkers, will participate in the iconic annual event that will unite the community to raise funds to support all forms of adult and pediatric care and cancer research at the nation’s premier cancer center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $167 million for Dana-Farber Cancer in its 34-year history, raising a record-breaking more than $8.8 million in 2022. Kate Morris, age 15, will participate as a Walk Hero for the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. Heroes are matched with Jimmy Fund Walk teams to give participants an opportunity to connect with patients.

Around Town

Pair of Sisters Run Marathon for Hospital That Gave Their Mother Cancer Treatment

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The Tolman sisters, Katherine (far right) and Julia (second from right) ran the 2023 Boston Marathon for their mother, Carolyn (Second from left). Also pictured are their father Warren (far left) and Andrew (center). Katherine and Julia Tolman completed the Boston Marathon this year, and raised more than $25,000 for the hospital that treated their mother’s cancer. The sisters wanted to give back to the organization that gave their mother so much over the years: Mass. General Hospital.