Methuen friends run through cancer

Four friends from Methuen are training for the 130th Boston Marathon while dealing with cancer in their own group, with two chasing a rare 25-year streak. (wcvb.com) WCVB identified the runners as Nadine Palmer, Lisa Zappala, Kim Carr, and Jane Cormier. The station reported Palmer and Zappala are set to run their 25th consecutive Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20, 2026. (wcvb.com, baa.org) The Boston Athletic Association says this year’s race is the 130th edition and is scheduled for Patriots’ Day, with 32,494 entrants and about 30,000 expected starters. Massachusetts accounts for 4,698 of those entrants. (baa.org, rrm.com) Boston is one of the few marathons that most runners must qualify for with a prior fast time, which makes a 25-year uninterrupted streak especially unusual. The Boston Athletic Association’s results archive spans nearly 130 years of race history. (baa.org, baa.org) The Methuen group’s story lands as Boston Marathon coverage this month has focused heavily on why individual runners are showing up, including several entrants running after cancer diagnoses or alongside close friends in treatment. Boston.com published one such profile on April 5 about a runner taking on Boston with her best friend after both were diagnosed with cancer. (boston.com, wcvb.com) The race itself runs from Hopkinton to Boston and finishes in Copley Square after 26.2 miles. Organizers say runners will come from 137 countries and all 50 states. (baa.org, rrm.com) For Palmer, Zappala, Carr, and Cormier, the next checkpoint is April 20, when the same course that measures speed and endurance will also mark how far they have carried one another. (wcvb.com, baa.org)