When Priya Atiyeh '14 started running with friends as a student at Boston College in 2016, she set the ambitious goal of completing the Boston Marathon in 2020.
Atiyeh told Keith Groller of The Morning Call, "I picked 2020 because I thought, when I am old and senile, that’s a year I was never going to forget.” Little did she know how true that would be but for very different reasons. Like nearly all large-scale events, the Boston Marathon scheduled for April 20, 2020, was cancelled due to the pandemic.
While initially disappointed, Atiyeh was determined to follow through on her goal. She opted for the Boston Marathon Virtual Experience, which enabled runners to complete the traditional 26.2-mile run individually. Athletes qualified if they completed the full distance in one continuous run any day between Sept. 7 and 14 and submitted proof to the Boston Athletic Association.
According to The Morning Call, "[Atiyeh's] training regime included a half-marathon and then runs on Saturdays of 15, 17 and 21 miles. During the week, she did shorter tempo runs totaling about 20 miles. She would do street stability and strength runs with DeSales University graduate Aaron Borroughs, owner of Homemade Fitness. She would run after work during the week, have her long runs on Saturdays, and then rest on Sundays."
On Sept. 13, 2020, Atiyeh's hard work paid off. She completed the Boston Marathon in six hours, seven minutes and 48 seconds (She timed herself, and didn't account for stopping to cross streets).
This was an individual event, but Atiyeh didn't do it alone. She was cheered on by passers-by in the city as well as by her friends and family, including her brother Abe Atiyeh '20.
Not only did Atiyeh fulfill the dream she had been pursuing for four years, but she made a difference while doing it. She ran for the Doc Wayne organization, raising $12,900 in support of its mission to "fuse sport and therapy to heal and strengthen at-risk youth."
This is just the beginning for Atiyeh, as she plans to complete half-marathons in all 50 states.
The obstacles brought on by the pandemic may have been immense, but Atiyeh teaches us that no dream is too far to reach, so long as you have the heart to run after it.
To read the story as it was originally published in The Morning Call, click here.