As thousands of runners set out on the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon course this Patriots’ Day, the streets from Hopkinton to Boston came alive with waving flags, homemade posters, and cheers from supportive spectators. Among this year’s participants were several runners whose connections to the Harvard community run deep.
Jon Schoenberg gives a wave as he races in his 31st Boston Marathon, April 21. (Courtesy photo)
Harvard’s Yong Xue (bib number 9379) in Wellesley heads toward the Charles River and into Newton. (This and following photos by Jen Manell)
Jason Bui, of New England Timing, gives a thumbs up a few meters before mile 16.
Looking strong, Katie Carlson heads toward Rosalind Bailey to get an energy gel packet shortly before mile 16.
For Katie Carlson, community involvement was central to her first Boston Marathon. The Westminster resident and farmer from Harvard’s Carlson Orchards secured a bib through the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), one of this year’s nonprofit organizations selected by the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) to receive invitational entries for the race.
When Carlson realized she had to raise $10,000 for the nonprofit, she was intimidated. “I found that people came out of the woodwork,” she said. “The community in Harvard is so friendly and welcoming that once word got out that I was doing this, people wanted to help.” Carlson raised $10,612 for the food bank through community efforts, including bingo nights at The Cider Barn and silent raffles with baskets donated by local businesses.
Raising money for a hunger-relief agency aligned closely with Carlson’s work at the orchard, where access to fresh, local produce is a daily mission. “We at Carlson Orchards have actually supplied them [GBFB] with fresh fruit and cider in the past,” said Carlson. “To hear that funding for local organizations like that is being exponentially cut—it hurts. Any little bit I can do helps.”
Harvard resident Jon Schoenberg, who completed his 31st Boston Marathon, has also found a strong sense of community through running. The “running boom” in the 1970s inspired him to start what would become a lifelong passion. From joining his grade school’s cross country team to competing with the Air Force marathon team, Schoenberg eventually qualified for his first Boston Marathon in 1989.
Some of Schoenberg’s most memorable races are personal. In 1995, his future wife, Jen, traveled along the course to cheer him on. In 1996, he ran the 100th Boston Marathon. And in 2013, he experienced the shock of the Boston Marathon bombings, saying it permanently changed the nature of the race. “I think the region has grown closer around this event as a result of unfortunate circumstances.”
Now a nearly 20-year resident of Harvard, Schoenberg continues to train for the Boston Marathon on local hills and routes along the Nashua River Rail Trail and Bare Hill Pond. He attributes Harvard’s investments in conservation, trail maintenance, and local running events to the strength of its running community.
Like Schoenberg, Ayer resident Jason Bui, who completed his 15th consecutive Boston Marathon this year, is inspired by Harvard’s active culture. Bui regularly works as a timer for road races in Harvard and kick-starts his own marathon training with a signature route he calls “Fourteen Hilly,” beginning at Carlson Orchards. “Harvard is a close-knit community, and they’re very outdoorsy and active,” Bui said.
“If you look at the demographics of this year’s participants from Harvard, three of them are over 60,” Schoenberg said. “The environment we have here is very motivating for lifelong physical activity.”
Bui said that despite making some mistakes this time around, like overloading on carbs, he is proud of his race. “My fiancée came out and cheered me on at mile 15 with my running club,” he said.
Carlson, who completed the marathon in 6 hours, 35 minutes, and 51 seconds, said she still can’t believe she’s officially a Boston Marathoner. “When times got tough, I reminded myself that I’m doing this to raise awareness for the GBFB,” she said.
From local fundraising efforts to training on familiar trails, runners like Schoenberg, Carlson, and Bui brought their Harvard connections to one of the world’s most iconic marathons. Now, Schoenberg looks forward to the possibility of running next year’s Boston Marathon alongside his daughter for the first time.
Out of the 28,390 athletes who completed this year’s marathon, organized by the BAA, four were from Harvard, three were from Ayer, and three were Bromfield alumni. The results for Harvard and Ayer’s Boston Marathon participants in the overall race are as follows:
- Chris Orlando: 2 hours, 44 minutes, 36 seconds
- Nick George: 2:59:46
- Jason Bui: 3:01:15
- Scott Graham II: 3:16:44
- Emily Erdos: 3:18:18
- Lindsey Thornton: 3:25:31
- Tom Cavicchi: 3:40:09
- Jon Schoenberg: 3:46:45
- Yong Xue: 3:50:01
- Christopher Brumby: 4:39:10
Amanda LaRiviere is a former Press intern and Northeastern University journalism graduate who lives and works in Boston.
