Mary Brooks has been a runner most of her life. When growing up in the Washington D.C. area, Brooks, LSEHD ’22, said in high school she trained for half marathons with her dad. But, training with her friend Danielle Morin, MCAS ’22, for the Cambridge Half Marathon is what solidified her decision to run the Boston Marathon, she said.
“We were training for the Cambridge Half, and I think we just loved the training journey and then the race, like there was so much energy,” Brooks said. “So that’s when we started applying for a bunch of different charity teams.”
Brooks applied for six or seven charity teams, she said and was accepted by 261 Fearless, a nonprofit that empowers women through its educational and athletic opportunities. Brooks said 261 Fearless really spoke to her passion for running and how it can be beneficial for someone’s mental health.
“I really liked the idea of running—[it is] symbolic of strength and especially female strength,” Brooks said.
Brooks said that she started training for the marathon the first week of January and worked on transitioning from running the distance of a half marathon to a full marathon. Brooks trained alongside Morin and the other members of the Hale Education charity team that Morin was running with.
“It’s much, much more empowering to run with other people, and, so yeah, I think that’s … what got me through the longer runs,” Brooks said.
For Brooks, passing Mile 21 was “awesome,” as it had the most energy, she said.
“Mile 21 was awesome because I recognized some people but I felt like some people recognized me too,” Brooks said. “I think I had my hand out for like, a half mile just giving everyone high fives. So yeah, I think, that’s like a very powerful energy.”
