Charity

Watertown Woman Running Marathon to Help Students Graduate High School

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For many years, Cassandra Rice has wanted to run the Boston Marathon, and in 2017 she will run her first one and raise money for a good cause, too. 

The Watertown resident, and 2006 WHS graduate, said she was pushed to run after the Marathon Bombings and the aftermath in her hometown. “I decided that I wanted to run many years ago, and after the events that unfolded in 2013, I was even more convinced,” Rice said. “We were all tremendously affected, and I wanted to be a part of the event that brings everyone in Boston together.” While she is not a novice runner, Rice said she is excited for the race. “This is my first time running a full marathon, although I’ve completed a handful of half marathons in the past,” Rice said.

Sports

See the Times for Watertown Runners in the 2016 Boston Marathon

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Once again Watertown had a large contingent running the Boston Marathon in 2016, with 31 residents finishing the full 26.2 miles. The top finisher from Watertown was Christopher Hine, whose time of 2:51:35 placed him 592nd overall. Jason Dunklee also finished in the top 1,000, at 669th and he also finished 64th in the men’s 40-44 division. The top female runner from town was Laurie Nahigian, who ran the race in 3:17:15. She placed 547th among women in the race, and was 18th in the women’s 45-49 division.

Charity

Watertown Runner Joins Celtics Foundation Marathon Team

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Watertown’s Yasi Abdolmohammadi will be running the 2016 Boston Marathon on behalf of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, and will raise more than $5,000. 

This is the third year in a row the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation (BCSF) has put together a team to run in the Boston Marathon. Abdolmohammadi, Kim Horton of Stoneham, Alexandra Zedros of Melrose, Caitlin Leary of Tewksbury, and Julie Mauro of Medford, have pledged to raise at least $5,000 each on behalf of the BCSF, which aims to extend the reach of the Celtics championship legacy into the community through programs that directly benefit children in need. As a team, BCSF has raised $126,000 this year to date. For more information on this group of runners or the 2016 BCSF Marathon Team, please visit celtics.com/marathon.

Charity

Watertown Woman Joins Mount Auburn Hospital’s First Ever Marathon Team

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This April, Mount Auburn Hospital’s first-ever Boston Marathon team will be completing the world-famous race in support of the Hoffman Breast Center, including a woman from Watertown, the hospital announced. Thanks to a generous donation of three invitational entries from Chris Connolly, General Manager of Herb Connolly Acura of Framingham, the following Mount Auburn employees have been given the chance to fulfill personal dreams and raise money for the hospital:

Kathleen Forde, Director of Health Information Management who lives in Watertown, will be trading in her long-time spectator status in order to complete her first Boston Marathon. Kathleen will be running to support her coworkers “who live the mission of Mount Auburn.”
Melissa Brangwynne is a nurse at Mount Auburn who made it a personal goal to complete the marathon before her upcoming 30th birthday. In addition to supporting the hospital, Melissa will be running to honor a late friend and soccer teammate who survived the 2013 marathon bombing but unexpectedly passed away earlier this year. Phoebe Matthews is a nurse in Mount Auburn’s operating rooms who, despite the cold, has been training by running to and from work every day.

Charity

Man Running Marathon for Late Father Hosting Fundraiser at Donohue’s

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Danny Shea of Chelmsford is hosting Drinks and Dancing with Old Brigade to raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts/New Hampshire’s Boston Marathon Team. The special event is open to the public and set for Saturday, Feb. 27 at the Donohue’s Bar and Grill, 87 Bigelow Ave, Watertown. “I am running to honor my late father, Jerry Shea, formerly of Belmont and an educator at Cambridge and Latin High School in Cambridge. He succumbed to this devastating disease in June,” said Shea.

Sports

See How Watertown Runners Did in the 2015 Boston Marathon

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Nicole Casey ran the 2015 Boston Marathon in 2:53:27, which was the top time of all Watertown runners in the race. 

Casey, 29, a Bryant University grad, started in the elite runner’s wave and came in 61st in the women’s race and 1,318th overall. The top men’s runner in town was Daniel Sulas, who ran the race in 2:59:13. That placed the 38-year old 2,438th overall. Here are Watertown’s runners in the 2015 Boston Marathon (overall place, name, time):

1,318 – Nicole Casey – 2:53:27; 2438. Daniel Gulas – 2:59:13
3,006 – Kun Song – 3:01:54
4,923 – Deborah Downs – 3:11:23
6,131 – Laurie Nahigian – 3:16:34
8,534 – Andrew Robertson – 3:25:14
10,104 – Lindsey Wallis – 3:29:53
11,396 – Helen Bresler – 3:39:40
14,164 – Laurie Ferguson – 3:42:21
14,646 – Nathan Hogan – 3:44:00
16,856 – Nicholas Arcolano – 3:51:51
19,270 – Caitlin McCourt – 4:02:12
19,512 – Katherine Hutchinson – 4:03:48
19,726 – Marc Smith – 4:04:57
20,121 – James Diamantopoulos – 4:07:27
20,494 – Daniel Araniz – 4:09:52
23,013 – Kate Rogers – 4:30:42
23,030 – Taylor Obey – 4:31:00
23,363 – Mary Regan – 4:34:59
23,456 – Michaela Murphy – 4:35:55
23,999 – Keli Hoyt-Rupert – 4:42:58
24,010 – Jacquelyn Dupuis – 4:43:03
24,215 – Alison Clapp – 4:46:03
24,432 – Halyang Zhang – 4:50:14
24,531 – Paul Beaton – 4:51:55

 

Around Town

Find Out How the 2015 Boston Marathon Could Impact Your Day

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Get ready for the 2015 Boston Marathon! Even if you are not running or watching in person, your driving or public transportation plans may be impacted. The following streets in Newton will be closed due from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to the 119th running of the Boston Marathon, according to Newton Police:

Commonwealth Avenue from the Boston line to Washington Street
Washington Street from Commonwealth Avenue to Beacon Street
Washington Street from Beacon Street to the Wellesley line
College Road between Commonwealth Avenue and Hammond

In addition, Homer Street between Commonwealth Avenue and Walnut Street, Walnut Street between Commonwealth Avenue and Homer Street, Cummings Road and North Street will be a Police Security Zone and will be open to abutters only from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Newton Police said. Many streets in Boston will be closed during the race, including Commonwealth Avenue, Beacon Street and Chestnut Hill Avenue in Brighton which will close at 8:30 a.m. For full details of street closings and parking restrictions click here. Most of the T system will run on a regular weekday schedule, but some MBTA routes will be impacted – mostly during the time of the Marathon.

Sports

See Which Watertown Residents are Running the 2015 Boston Marathon

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Thirty-Three Watertown residents will race the 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20, 2015. The town’s runners include 23 women and 10 men, including one elite athlete – 29-year old Nicole Casey. Four more are in the first wave and three are in the second wave. While that is a healthy number, Watertown saw a huge bump in marathoners in 2014. There were 76 local runners a year after the Marathon Bombing and the shootout and manhunt in Watertown.