By Melissa Moore-Randall
Marathon Monday is one of the most exciting days in Boston with spectators lining the 26.2 mile course. For Brenda Iafrate it is the day she laces up her sneakers and hits the course joining 30,000 runners on their journey from Hopkinton to Boston.
her sixth Boston Marathon on
Marathon Monday.
Iafrate, a 1983 graduate of Revere High School and Special Assistant to Revere’s Chief Financial Officer, completed her 6th marathon this past Marathon Monday.
Brenda ran her first marathon in 2019 after her youngest daughter, Ariana, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. “I decided then that I wanted to run a marathon. I had no running experience. I ran my first marathon in April 2019 and that’s when my running journey began.” Brenda would go on to run in 2020, the first Boston “virtual” Marathon, during COVID, 2021, the first Boston Marathon held in the fall on Columbus Day Weekend, 2022, 2023 when she ran both Boston and Chicago, and this year’s Boston Marathon.”
When asked what her most special marathon was Iafrate replied, “They really are all special in their own way. I guess the most special is the next one!”
Brenda’s training for the grueling 26.2 mile race starts the first week of December. “Training for me usually begins the first week of December and runs 18-20 weeks until Marathon Day. Living so close to Boston I have the benefit of being able to train on the actual marathon course. I will do long runs every Saturday, ranging in mileage from 6 miles working my way up to a 21 mile run 3 weeks before the actual marathon. With 2 days of shorter runs during the week.”
Brenda has run for different charities. “My first 5 Boston Marathons, I went through Charity Teams, an organization founded by Susan Hurley, who has over 40 Charity partners that she assists on forming marathon teams to raise money for their specific foundations of which I ran for the Bill Belichick Foundation. The Chicago Marathon I ran for Joslin Diabetes Foundation. This year, I ran for the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge Team.”
When asked if she will run Boston again next year, Brenda said, “ hope so!!! What I say to everyone when people ask why I run, I say because I can!”
