Erin (Weber) McCarthy has lived in Marblehead since the fourth grade after growing up early on in Cambridge. On April 21, her attention will be on the 129th running of the Boston Marathon. It will be her second time competing on the legendary course.
McCarthy runs for mom with Dana-Farber team
“I ran Boston for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team in 2018, signing up a few months after my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. She fought the good fight with an amazing team of doctors at DFCI (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) for seven years, but unfortunately passed away last July,” McCarthy said. “I hadn’t planned to run another marathon, (but that was before) a (Dana-Farber) team email came out on her birthday a few months after she passed away. It seemed like a sign to do it one more time for (my mom).”
Three-sport Magician athlete
Ironically, McCarthy never thought much about running early on. “I played field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse in high school and college, and (simply) avoided running as much as possible,” she added.
At Wheaton, she played on its Division 3 field hockey team until a knee injury sidelined her, which forced her to switch to club teams in all three aforementioned sports. McCarthy was also a gymnast for many years at the Marblehead YMCA, and was a Rec & Parks softball player. She currently enjoys golfing with her husband James and family, which includes her three-year-old son Everett, who has his own little kids’ clubs.
Erin and James have also invested in the Marblehead business community as owners of Creature Comforts & Pawsitively on Atlantic Avenue.
“Both of us came from different careers – I worked at the New England Aquarium in Boston for 10 years training seals and sea lions, while James worked in the commercial real estate market – but we opted for a new adventure in the summer of 2019, and so we bought CCPAWS,” she explained.
Running again to remember mom
“This time around, without mom here, my dad and I have really taken our commitment to the Dana-Farber team to a new level,” McCarthy said. “Dad has even become a team volunteer, coming to Boston with me on many Saturdays throughout the last few months to work the water stops along the marathon route during our long and cold team runs. We both look forward to continuing to be a part of the DFMC volunteer team for years to come.”
Athletic memories
Through it all, McCarthy has had many athletic highlights. “Certainly, crossing the finish line at the 2018 Boston Marathon was a highlight,” she said.
“Aside from that, I can genuinely say that teammates of mine from both high school and college are still some of my best friends today, which is probably one of the best things about any of the sports that I’ve played over the years,” she added. “In fact, one of my closest friends, Margaux (Stunzi) Danforth, who played all three high school sports with me, is a fellow marathoner this year. She is running for the Children’s Hospital Team.”
McCarthy also said that she was fortunate enough to have her application and fundraising plan selected and approved twice for the DFMC Team. She will have her own personal team of dad Dave, husband James, son Everett and an aunt and uncle coming in from Wisconsin along the route to encourage her through the journey.
“Dana-Farber means so much to me and my family, specifically all of the work it has done for the advancement of cancer-fighting treatments,” said McCarthy. “Thanks to multiple clinical trials and new drug combination protocols, my mom was able to get seven extra years with us, enough to see me run the marathon for her, get married, buy a house and a boat and have a baby. She was able to be Grandma “Gaga” to Everett for three wonderful years, which didn’t seem possible in 2017.”
McCarthy has raised more than $27,000 for this marathon, bringing her lifetime total (for both races) to just under $40,000. Learn more about McCarthy’s race and how to donate at danafarber.jimmyfund.org/goto/Erin_McCarthy
