Celebrating some very special Boston Marathon volunteers
On Friday November 15, the Boston Athletic Association held a special lunch at the Museum of Science in Boston to celebrate and thank 27 volunteers who have been part of the Boston Marathon for 30 years or more!
These incredible individuals are part of the 9,000 strong cohort without whom the marathon couldn’t happen. The volunteers play such an important role in all the marathon related events and in creating the atmosphere across the city over the weekend and race day that Boston is known for.
Three of those recognized shared what’s brought them back year after year after year...
Karen Person
“I’ve been volunteering for more than 30 years. I started because my husband ran the marathon for 25 years. The first year that he ran, I dropped him at Hopkinton, and he liked the look of the volunteer jackets. Realizing the only way to get one was to get involved, I started volunteering the next year. I started as the timer on the starting line, before the days of chips, and since then I’ve been a rope holder and a corral monitor.
“The excitement from all the runners is incredible, and to be there to cheer them on is really special. It’s a big family day for all of us and it’s very special for all of us.”
Eileen Quirk
“I do the shirt distribution now, but I was a rope holder at the start. Karen [Person] is my sister-in-law, so I got ‘roped in’ to help instead of watching my brother run. Our father ran back in the day with Johnny Kelly. I love the day so much.
“One year my husband and I were helping on the route, and a runner wanted a photograph of us with him. The next year, I saw the same runner again and he reached into his pocket, and he had the photo of us with him. I will be back again in 2025, and I can’t wait. I will be 80 in February, and I have no plans of giving up anytime soon.”
Scott R Graham
“I’ve volunteered for 30 years, and I have run the marathon 38 years in a row too. I volunteer on Saturday and then I get out there and run it on Monday. When I first started, I managed the elite number handout then around 1986 they started using chips, so I checked all the timing chips were working. I’ve done t-shirt handouts at the Expo and for the last few years I’ve been one of the Expo ambassadors which is a lot of fun. You get to interact a lot more with the runners and add some fun into their day – even those first timers that look nervous or anxious about their big day. So many interesting people come to Boston from all walks of life.
“To me the race is my Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, Birthday all rolled into one. It’s the reward you get for training all winter long in New England. My son is also running next year – he’s a little faster than me but it’s going to be a very special day. I love the marathon – that is why I keep coming back.
Congratulations and thank you to:
- Amanda Arloro
- Terri Nagle
- Manuel J. Arruda
- Karen Person
- Ronn Beck
- Brian Plumb
- Denise Benavides
- Eileen Quirk
- Chris Chesmore
- Christopher Riccio
- Renee N. Gass
- Claudio Sierra
- Edw. S. Ginsberg
- Elena Sierra
- Scott R Graham
- Gary Somero
- Dean Harding
- Pauline Soohoo
- Richelle Harrod
- Marie Steward
- Leon Josey
- Stephen Trudeau
- Steve Komenchuk
- James Usevich
- Carol Kuo
- Craig Woods
- Lisa Lombardo