THE BOSTON RUNNING COLLABORATIVE

VERONICA CLARKE • Dorchester

The 2023 Boston Marathon will be Veronica's first marathon, something she's very much looking forward to.

"It will inspire many. I'm already an inspiration with my weight loss and still working on improving my transition. I'm a black woman who doesn't come from a running family, so I had to motivate and teach myself. From changing my eating habits, especially removing dishes from my Caribbean culture, to pushing my body every mile. Running the Boston Marathon has been a personal goal."

SYD HOWLAND • PIONEERS Run Crew • Roslindale

Syd embodies the PIONEERS spirit. Born and raised in Roslindale, she is a supportive, passionate person who is willing to go the distance to help runners find their inner motivation to be the best they can be. She was on hand to encourage PIONEERS Captain Jeremy, a 2022 Boston Marathon runner, to get up and over Heartbreak Hill, complete the last 6 miles of the race, and cross the finish line. A lifelong swimmer, Syd's run journey only began a few years ago. When she joined PIONEERS, Syd was pushing herself to keep up with the one-mile group but has since run several half marathons and 26.True as her first full marathon. Syd continues to excel at running, and running the Boston Marathon will be a tremendous experience for this lifelong Bostonian.

SAILAJA JOSHI • Black Girls Run! • West Fens/Kenmore

“I remember this moment in 8th grade where I was running the Presidential Mile and I came in dead last. My gym teacher looked at me with kind eyes and told me ‘It’s ok dear, your kind don’t run, they do math.’

"That idea, those words, took up residence in my mind/body for way too long. When I started my running journey in the Summer of 2020, I purposefully posted on my Instagram, my times, and my challenges because I wanted to take up space so others could see that they could too. It became a way for me to break down this idea that a runner looked a certain way, and in fact…we can all be runners.

"As a first-generation Asian-Indian American, I wanted to show the world that woman like me do in fact run. Now, running the Boston Marathon has given me a chance to show the world that folks like me can do anything. That women, especially women of color, can do anything. Black Girls Run! is one of the first groups that I joined when I found running and where, for the first time in my life, I found community and saw myself."

FJ PERFAS • PIONEERS Run Crew • Dorchester

Having been injured for most of 2022, FJ is quietly mounting his comeback. After breaking his leg while training for 26. True, FJ has worked hard since his surgery to run again. FJ completed his first race in over 6 months this past summer, and his miles and smiles have both steadily increased.

Running the Boston Marathon in April will help FJ celebrate his return in the biggest way possible. Outside of his work in public health, FJ is passionate about social justice and solidarity, and brings those shared values to PIONEERS Run Crew and the running community at large.