Marathon Spotlight: Heather Capes Hopes to Raise Thousands for Dana-Farber

If conditions are good, she hopes to finish in four and a half hours. If the weather is really warm, she hopes to just ... finish.

It's Heather Capes's first marathon, and she's running the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 16, along with 11 other runners from Northborough. Inspired by her twin sister, who has run more than ten marathons, Capes is participating in support of Dana Farber.

"I am especially inspired thinking about running the marathon for such a great cause," said Capes." It is overwhelming how many people have been impacted by cancer and it is nice to do something, however small, to help.  I set a goal to raise more than $8,000 for Dana-Farber." 

Capes started running when she was in her 20s, but didn't start hitting the long distance treks until two years ago (when she ran half a marathon).

"The feeling that you get after finishing your first long race is so rewarding that you just want to continue to push yourself forward," she said. 

In training since December, she's gradually increased her mileage and ran 21.5 miles this past week. Capes runs a minimum of three days per week and cross-trains another two. 

"I have been doing the long runs on the weekends and my husband has been so good about taking care of the kids," said Capes. "It has required him to be pretty understanding and I would not be able to train for a marathon without his support and help.  I have also been lucky enough to do some training runs with and Kate Gamache, both from Northborough and also running the marathon."