University of Massachusetts Boston senior Christine DuPuis took part in the running of the 118th Boston Marathon, raising money in support of Camp Shriver. DuPuis finished her first marathon in 5:57:39. Following months of difficult training in harsh weather conditions, DuPuis was excited to finally be able to complete the goal she has had since arriving in Boston from Nevada in 2010.
“I went down the finish line area a couple of times [in the week before the Marathon] and just seeing the runners start to arrive and the community gathering around to celebrate something that means so much to our city was incredible. You could feel the energy start to build up,” said DuPuis.
DuPuis helped to raise money for Camp Shriver by running this year. Camp Shriver is an inclusive summer sports camp based on the UMass Boston campus where half of the campers have a disability and the other half of the campers do not. As a member of the volleyball team, DuPuis has been around the camp and has been able to interact with the campers. When the opportunity to help the camp and complete her marathon goal came up, she knew she had to take advantage of it.
“The fundraising went well. [Camp Shriver] is just an awesome organization,” said DuPuis. “It was a perfect situation to be able to help this amazing group of people and fulfill my goal at the same time.”
Following the tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombings last year, a record number of spectators came out to cheer on the runners at this year’s marathon. DuPuis mentioned that the feeling of such a large crowd cheering her on as she finished was electrifying and a once in a lifetime opportunity. She described the moment as more emotional than she had imagined it would be.
“So many emotions overtook me at once. I felt excitement for the accomplishment of not only myself, but for the thousands of other runners. The pride and resilience shown by this incredible city was overwhelming and the energy of all those showing their love and support was amazing,” she said.
DuPuis had said she dreamed of running the marathon ever since she started studying at UMass Boston. Following the events of last year’s marathon, she said she knew that this was the year she had to run, as this marathon had a different meaning than all of the prior ones.
“The support and love that has been shown to not only me, but the city of Boston, makes it worth it. I had known that I wanted to run the Boston marathon after watching it and cheering on the runners for the first time my freshman year,” DuPuis said.
“I wanted to be a part of this incredible tradition. I’m so proud to have been able to participate in such a monumental and historic day for the city of Boston.”
Even with the harsh conditions of the winter, DuPuis was happy to train for the marathon. Enlisting friends and teammates to encourage her and help her train, DuPuis feels that it was all worth it in the end to be able to complete her goal and help a great cause.
“I absolutely know that all of the training and work that went into this race was worth it. Even the events that led up to Marathon Monday have made the training worth it,” she said.
DuPuis feels she’s become addicted to marathons, saying, “I love having something to train for and having a goal to achieve. I would love to run more marathons in the future.”