In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for Boston.com’s pop-up Boston Marathon newsletter.

Name: Mary Higgins
Age: 59 yrs
From: Dedham, Mass.

On April 21, I will be lining up in Hopkinton to run my ninth Boston Marathon. What started out as a goal in 2001 has extended now to 24 years later. I had retired after the 2022 marathon. I got pulled out of retirement because my youngest child (Ryan Dunne) wanted to run with me…and his siblings Alexandra Forestier, Michael Dunne, Meghan Dunne!  

We run this year for Boston Children’s Hospital honoring Ryan’s 15 year anniversary of his open heart surgery and in memory of my daughter, Casey Dunne, who passed away at Children’s almost 10 years ago. We will be Casey’s crew — me and four “kids” — with our angel watching over us and cheering us on from above. 

Running has been part of my fabric for over 45 years.  It has been my go-to in both happy times and challenging years. I am honored that my four kids will be running this course with me.  After having pushed them in strollers on training runs and had them cheer me on the sidelines many times, this will be a really epic day.  How blessed I am to have them by my side.

This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.