When the starting gun goes off in Hopkinton to begin the 129th running of the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21, Marblehead native Vanessa Freedman will be there running it for the first time. She has run half-marathons and other road races before, but she wasn’t going to run any other full-marathon until she did it in her home state first, where thousands of runners come to test their skills on this unique meandering 26.2-mile course. It’s a tradition like no other.
Perhaps another reason why Vanessa wanted to run Boston this year is somewhat more personal, and that’s because her dad, Gary, former owner of Marblehead Opticians, has successfully battled back from his second bout with cancer that was diagnosed in 2023.
“I’m so honored to be running Boston in celebration of my dad, who has now defeated cancer twice and continues to live happily in remission,” she said. “The Boston Marathon is so special to my family, and it’s truly a dream come true to run it this year after all my family has been through. This is a great way to celebrate and honor my dad (at the same time).”
Gary, now 64, is a Swampscott native, who has run Boston 26 times, while also running other marathons in 35 states, plus ultramarathons that have included 100- and 150-mile races.
Vanessa admits it was her dad’s love for running that got her involved in the sport, but her desire to become a pediatrics physician is a direct result of Gary being a cancer survivor, and she wanted to be able to help others who are going through the same plight.
“I grew up with him first pushing me in the stroller, while he ran,” Vanessa said. “As soon as he let me start running — I had to wait until I was 12 — I fell in love with it quickly.”
Today, she’s 26, and that love for running still permeates in her.
Vanessa and her dad are hardly alone in their passion for running. Her entire family is consumed by it. Her mom, Esther, who grew up in Marblehead, has been a special education teacher in Lynn for over 20 years. At home, the family’s matriarch always had that encouraging word.
“My mom has always been a huge supporter of my father’s running, and now that support has bled into my running career, as well,” said Vanessa.
Vanessa’s older brother Zachary, who’s 28, has also been and continues to be a huge supporter of hers, which has dovetailed nicely into their journey together in the medical field.
“Zach is currently a first-year resident in anesthesiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston,” Vanessa said. “He has been a huge support system for me through the years, and it continues today as we both have been navigating through medical school and the medical profession together.”
It all started at the Bell
Vanessa first attended the Bell School — now the Brown School — in Marblehead, before going to the Village, Veterans and finally the high school, where she’s a 2017 graduate. She then went on to the University of Michigan, majoring in neuroscience. In July 2021, she started medical school at the Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and will graduate from there in May. But in late March, she found out she matched into pediatrics at the Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and will be moving to New Brunswick, New Jersey, in June to start her residency in pediatrics there.
An athlete for all seasons
Vanessa grew up as a soccer and basketball player and gymnast here in Marblehead. But it was at Marblehead High, where she found out running was for her. “I realized I was a lot better at running than soccer, so I joined the cross-country team in the fall. But in the winter, I continued to play basketball, but I returned to running with the spring track team,” she said. “I was a 12-season athlete in my four years at MHS, but my favorite sport is obviously running. But as a team sport, it is basketball, and the Celtics are my favorite team.”
Going the distance
“While, yes, this is my first marathon, I’ve always said that Boston would be my first, because I couldn’t imagine any other race to be my first marathon,” Vanessa said. “But I did run two half-marathons prior to this.”
Vanessa’s first one was the Des Moines Half Marathon in October 2022, where she ran alongside her dad. “That made it all the more special for me,” Vanessa said. “But my second half-marathon was in Gloucester —the Happy Holidays Half MerryThon — on Dec. 3, 2023. I ran
that race alone in the cold rain, but actually finished with a better time.”
“Another memorable moment was when my dad ran the Detroit Marathon in 2018, while I was attending the University of Michigan. This was his first marathon back since he got cancer in 2012. He thought he’d never be able to run a marathon again. I ran the last (three) miles with him. At that point, we were run/walking, but (we) still completed the race with tears in both of our eyes. We never thought it would be possible for him to run again after having a bone marrow transplant, let alone run a marathon. It was indeed a very special day in Detroit.”
Running for MGH
Vanessa is running Boston for the Massachusetts General Hospital Charity Team. “Mass General is one of the hospitals that saved my dad’s life back in 2023, when he was diagnosed with his second cancer,” said Vanessa. To donate in her name, go to this link: givengain.com/donate/ap/89377
