April 17, 2025
Each year, people come from all over the world to run the Boston Marathon.
It is a spectacular event, right in our own backyard.
Some of the best stories across every level of competition come from the locals who run the race.
These are stories of triumph, from making the cut for the pro division, overcoming physical challenges to compete in the wheelchair division, to having both the desire and capability to raise money for a good cause.
Here are 10 notable locals who are running the 2025 Boston Marathon.
Edward Barnes
Edward Barnes (Douglas, Mass.): Barnes is the Guinness Book of World Records holder for the fastest marathon run with an artificial heart valve. He has run five of the six Abbott Major Marathons with only Boston left to go. If he finishes the race, he’ll become the first person with an artificial heart valve to receive the prestigious Abbott Six Star medal.
Colin Bennie (Princeton, Mass.): The Wachusett High alumnus was the fastest American in the 2021 Boston Marathon as he earned a 7th place finish. He has a pair of top-10 finishes at U.S. marathon trials. He finished 9th in 2020 and 10th in 2024. His personal best is 2:09:38.
Thomas Cantara (Courtesy of the Boston Athletic Association)
Thomas Cantara (Nashua, N.H.): Cantara, a Special Olympics New Hampshire athlete, is aiming to earn his Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star medal this year. He won last year’s Boston Marathon in the T20 (intellectual impairment) division with a record time of 2:35:23. His personal best is 2:31:23, which he set in Berlin.
Jessie Cardin (Sutton, Mass.): The Sutton High and Westfield State alumna recently won the New Bedford Half Marathon. She runs professionally with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project team. Her personal best is 2:33:34. She’s a three-time NCAA Division III All-American.
Ryan Eiler. Victah Sailer/Courtesy of the Boston Athletic Association
Ryan Eiler (Boston, Mass.): Eiler finished 15th in last year’s Boston Marathon, and his time was third-fastest amongst Americans. He won the 2022 Maine Marathon and finished sixth in the 2023 Philadelphia Marathon. His personal best is 2:13:36.
Jason Fowler. (Courtesy of the Boston Athletic Association)
Jason Fowler (Boston, Mass.): This will be Fowler’s 21st Boston Marathon in the wheelchair division. According to his website, he has completed 54 triathlons and 50 marathons. He developed a passion for racing at a young age, competing as a motocross racer during his early years. He was paralyzed in an accident at age 17, but has kept his competitive spirit alive and aims to inspire others.
Barry Keane. Kevin Morris/Courtesy of the Boston Athletic Association
Barry Keane (Boston, Mass.): Keane, who is originally from Waterford, Ireland, now trains in Boston. He finished 9th in the 2024 Boston Half. This will be his first Boston Marathon. He was a four-time Big East champion in the 10,000m run during his college days at Butler and finished seventh in the event at the 2023 NCAA championships.
Delmace Mayo. Daniel Murphy/Melrose High School
Delmace Mayo (Boston, Mass.): The 19-year-old is set to compete in his first Boston Marathon. He’s the first para-athlete to win the 1-mile wheelchair race at the New Balance Indoor Nationals. He was born with a rare spinal cord injury, but he has found a passion for racing.
Abbie McNulty was one of three captains of the state champion Bishop Feehan girls cross country team. George Rizer for the Boston Globe
Abbie McNulty (Cumberland, R.I.): The Bishop Feehan alumna was a two-time All-American during her college career at Stanford. She finished 10th in the NCAA in the 10,000 m run in 2019. She won a Massachusetts state title in the two-mile run in 2014 while she was in high school. Her personal best is 2:36:00.
Scott Stallings (Worcester, Mass.): The three-time PGA Tour event winner is raising money for Golf Fights cancer. Golf Digest once called him the PGA Tour’s “most shredded pro.” Stallings played college golf at Tennessee Tech and lives in Knoxville, Tenn.
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