Here are the personalities running the 2023 Boston Marathon.
Doug Flutie: Former Boston College and NFL quarterback
Flutie was a standout quarterback for Boston College who later played professionally for years, including for the New England Patriots.
The Natick High School graduate supports the Flutie Foundation, his nonprofit organization which, according to its website, “is dedicated to helping people and families affected by autism live life to the fullest.” The nonprofit was inspired by Flutie’s son, Dougie Jr., who was diagnosed with a rare autism spectrum disorder as a young child.
To celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary, Flutie is running the marathon and personally matching donations, “dollar for dollar, until Dougie’s Autism Team reaches $325,000,” according to the foundation.
Kyrsten Sinema: US Senator from Arizona
The controversial congresswoman is set to return to competitions after completing last year’s race.
Sinema, a keen athlete, qualified for the 2021 run but had to sit out with a broken foot. She watched as a participant that year, and activists from her home state followed her to Boston to protest her refusal at the time to support the Biden administration’s Build Back Better plan.
But she finished the race in just over four hours last year, a feat she described as a “long walk.”
“Couldn’t be more grateful to have 2 strong feet and 1 happy heart in this Boston marathon!” Sinema tweeted.
Ryan Dempster: Former Red Sox player
Dempster spent a season in Boston as a pitcher. In 2013, he was on the hill on the day of the Boston Marathon bombing. As a long-distance runner in high school, the idea of running a marathon was always in the back of his mind.
He told the Globe that the 2023 Boston Marathon — a decade after playing for the Red Sox and a decade after the bombing — was the “perfect” moment to achieve that goal. He is running to raise funds for the Lingzi Foundation, which honors the memory of the Lingzi Lu bombing victim.
“It was a triumph over tragedy,” Dempster said of the season, which culminated in a World Series win. “The way the city allowed us to play a small role in people’s recovery changed the way I look at baseball. So I wanted to come back and run the marathon. Of course I had to do it in Boston.”
Brock Holt: Former Red Sox player
A longtime fan favorite, Holt spent seven seasons with the Red Sox as a dependable utility player. He runs for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with his wife Lakyn. Holt said his main goal is to continue raising funds and raising awareness about childhood cancer.
He and his wife have been heavily involved with the institute for years, and during his time with the Sox, Holt captained the Jimmy Fund five times.
“I think it’s cool to say you did, and this city means so much to us, and if we can help and raise some money and walk 26.2 miles, we will,” Holt said last NESN June of his decision.
Zdeno Chara: Bruins legend
Chara, the greatest player in NHL history and one of the strongest, left an indelible mark on Boston. The imposing former Bruins defender and captain is considered one of the greatest to have played the game and was known for being an astute leader.
He announced via Instagram in March that he will be running the Boston Marathon in support of two charities — the Thomas E. Smith Foundation and the Hoyt Foundation — both of which have ties to the area. Chara said the Boston race will be his first marathon.
“EXCITING NEWS! I am very excited to announce that I am running my first marathon and what better first marathon than the Boston Marathon on April 17th!” he wrote.
Berj Najarian: Bill Belichick’s right hand man
Najarian is the director of football and head coach administration for the New England Patriots and has long been one of coach Bill Belichick’s most trusted confidants, even being referred to as his “chief of staff.”
After running the 2022 Boston Marathon in support of Who We Are, the nonprofit he founded in 2021, Najarian is putting on his sneakers again to raise money.
Raised in an Armenian-American household, Najarian’s nonprofit “supports organizations and individuals dedicated to promoting cultural identity and understanding,” according to the website.
“It’s exciting to compete in the Boston Marathon,” Najarian said on Instagram.
Troy, Cameron and Ryan Hoyt: grandsons of Dick Hoyt
Three of Dick Hoyt’s grandchildren – Troy, Cameron and Ryan – are running the Boston Marathon this year as part of Team Hoyt.
Dick and his son Rick have long been fixtures in races across New England, with the legendary marathoner pushing his son across the finish line, including in Boston. Established in 1989, the Hoyt Foundation “seeks to build the individual character, confidence, and self-esteem of America’s disabled young people,” according to its website.
Now his grandchildren will continue to honor that legacy with the race, which the team says marks Hoyt Cam’s first Boston Marathon, Troy’s third and Ryan’s second.
“There are heroes and there are legends. Heroes are remembered, but legends never die. 17 days until we continue what these legends started!” Troy wrote on Instagram in March.
Monica (Puig) Rakitt: Former tennis star
Puig caused a stir when she won gold in women’s singles tennis at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, becoming the first athlete to win gold for Puerto Rico in any sport.
She retired last June and married Nathan Rakitt the following November. After her professional tennis career, Puig set her sights on a new challenge: running all six major marathons in the world, including Boston. She has been documenting her training journey for Boston on social media.
“I didn’t think running would ever be for me, but this journey has been humbling and liberating. Running has given me purpose and a lot of goals to work towards,” she wrote on Instagram last September.
Dave Fortier: Survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing
Fortier ran the 2013 Boston marathon – his first marathon – to support a close friend who was struggling with cancer when he was injured by the first bomb. He suffered hearing loss and shrapnel wounds as a result of the attack.
After the bombings, Fortier ran more than a dozen other marathons, including one in Boston. Driven by his “passion to serve other survivors of terror and trauma,” he founded the One World Strong Foundation and now serves as President.
“You hear a lot about ‘Boston Strong’, resilience and recovery. I’ve seen what that means. I’ve seen people walk with one leg again or walk with two new legs. People just don’t give up, we adapt and we persevere,” Fortier wrote for TIME in a 2014 article explaining why he was running again.
Dave Fortier knelt at the site of the bombing before crossing the finish line of the 125th Boston Marathon.
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
Steven Reny: Survivor of the Boston Marathon Bombing
Steven Reny was standing near the finish line of the marathon in 2013 with his wife Audrey and daughter Gillian to watch his other daughter Danielle finish the race when the bombs went off. Steven and Audrey were treated for minor injuries while Gillian suffered serious wounds to her legs. Doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital were able to save Gillian’s legs and aid in her recovery.
The family established the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Fund in February 2014. Her physical center, called the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation, opened in January 2017 and helps improve the lives of trauma survivors.
Steven has previously run the marathon with Audrey in support of the cause, and he will be running again this year with the Stepping Strong Team, whose mission is to “turn tragedy into hope,” the center wrote on Instagram.
Kayleigh Williamson: Selected as Runner 321 by Adidas
Williamson became the first woman with Down syndrome to run the Austin Marathon last February. She was named runner 321 at the Boston Marathon by Adidas, a number that stands for trisomy 21 (another name for Down syndrome). The campaign to promote inclusion, launched last year, aims to ensure that 321st place in marathons in each race is reserved for neurodivergent athletes. Chris Nikic ran his second Boston marathon last year as runner 321.
“It’s an absolute dream to run the Boston Marathon representing two such incredible organizations,” she wrote in her bio for the Kyle Please Foundation, the other cause she runs for. “It’s actually a dream to run at all. But do I need to remind you? I’m a marathon finisher.”
Burfoot won the 1968 Boston Marathon while a senior at Wesleyan College, an achievement he told the Globe half a century later comes only in “the wildest dreams.”
Burfoot, the former editor-in-chief of Runner’s World Magazine, has since returned more than 20 times to complete the fabled road. He will do it again this year.
“You used to sprint across the finish line as fast as you could because your time in Boston was your resume for the year,” Burfoot said in 2018. “Boston was everything, it was the only thing that mattered. Now when I get to the last piece I go, I enjoy it, I say thank you. I turn and applaud the people who come back to me and honor the wondrous miracle of finishing the Boston Marathon.”
Amby Burfoot and Jock Semple finish the 1968 Boston Marathon. Joe Dennehy, Globe contributor
General James C. McConville: US Army Chief of Staff
McConville, a native of Quincy, is the 40th Chief of Staff in the US Army. After attending a ceremony where he will honor veterans on Patriots Day at the start of the marathon, McConville will officiate the race. This is his third time in a row.
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Shannon Larson can be reached at [email protected] Follow her on Twitter @shannonlarson98.
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