Double Boston Challenge
A seven‑person team from Trail Animals Running Club announced plans to attempt a 'Double Boston' on April 20 — running the official course twice on Marathon Monday, first in reverse then with the race — a big endurance stunt tied to the Boston event. Locally, runners like registered nurse Gabby Peduto are also running the marathon to support causes such as Special Olympics Massachusetts. (rock929rocks.com) (boston.com)
The plan calls for a 3 a.m. start on Boylston Street so the seven runners can run the 26.2-mile Boston course backward from the finish line to the traditional start in Hopkinton, take a short recovery break, then line up and run the official Boston Marathon later that morning — 52.4 miles total. (marathonhandbook.com) The seven athletes are members of the Trail Animals Running Club: Kathryn Zioto, Justin Hetherington, Jon Western, Maria Chevalier, Dave Desnoyers, Brendan Morgan, and Bill Dittman, and the effort is sponsored by Mount to Coast, which has rented a nearby house to serve as their between-race recovery spot. (trailanimals.com) (marathonhandbook.com) The Boston route is a “net‑downhill” course — the finish in Boston sits roughly 450 feet lower in elevation than the start in Hopkinton, meaning runners usually descend more than they climb during a normal race — so running it in reverse turns much of that descent into sustained uphill running. (A famous climb known as Heartbreak Hill is a roughly half‑mile steep section encountered around mile 20 of the standard course; flipped, that climb appears earlier and in a different sequence, changing pacing and muscle demand.) (therunningchannel.com) (baa.org) Logistics have been a major part of planning: the group will finish the reverse leg in Hopkinton, use the sponsor’s rented house to refuel and rest for a few hours, then rejoin the official race field later that morning; one runner, Justin Hetherington, has described the timeline as a 1 a.m. wakeup for a 3 a.m. start. (bostonnewsroom.com) (marathonhandbook.com) Separately, local runner Gabby Peduto — a 26‑year‑old registered nurse from Wakefield who works with students with complex medical needs — is running the 2026 Boston Marathon to raise funds for Special Olympics Massachusetts and emphasizes the organization’s focus on ability and inclusion. (boston.com)
