Christine Flatley said she first got the idea to run in the Boston Marathon after seeing one of her closest friends run it in October last year.
“When he passed by me at Mile 21, I just remember seeing the joy in his face and wanting to run it for myself and experience that joy as a senior at Boston College,” Flatley, CSON ’22, said.
A native of Milton, Mass., Flatley ran cross country for two years in high school and has run numerous half marathons, including the Newport Half Marathon just last year. This year’s Boston Marathon, however, was her first full marathon ever.
“I ran a really good half marathon [in Newport], and then a few weeks later, I did the Cambridge Half Marathon with some BC friends, too,” said Flatley. “And so, by that point, I started to feel like I knew that the next step was the marathon.”
As a nursing student, Flatley had to learn how to balance her schoolwork with her training in the months leading up to the marathon, which she said proved to be difficult yet ultimately rewarding.
“Just getting out at 5:30 to run 9 miles before eight-hour shifts at clinical definitely tested my limits, but it showed me what I’m capable of,” said Flatley. “So I’m glad that I did it, and it made me feel more accomplished at the end of the day.”
Flately was part of the Tufts Medical Center marathon team, which helped raise funds to support the everyday operations at the center
When Flatley hit Mile 21 on the day of the marathon, she said that seeing everyone cheering at BC gave her adrenaline to keep going, even after the long trek up Heartbreak Hill.
“By the time I got to the bottom of the hill … I saw … all my roommates gathered in a huge group for me and decked out in gear with my name on it, and that was probably one of my most memorable moments with my friends at BC,” said Flatley.
