The third Monday in April.
If you’re a high school distance runner, particularly in Massachusetts, it’s the day of the year that’s on the bucket list for most. It’s a day that is solely designated as a holiday in the Commonwealth State, Patriots Day and the storied Boston Marathon.
Former Bishop Feehan and Stanford University standout Abbie McNulty was one of those runners that dreamed of one day gracing the starting line in Hopkinton for the challenging 26.2-mile trek to Copley Square.
On Monday, that dream will become reality for McNulty.
The 29-year-old Cumberland native will be among nearly 32,000 participants lining up for the historic footrace. Better yet, McNulty’s one of 64 runners classified as elite women, a list that includes former champions – Kenya’s Hellen Obriri, Edna Kiplagat and Sharon Cherop as well as 2018 winner Des Linden of the United States.
“I am pumped,” she said. “Obviously, I grew up racing in Massachusetts all through high school. It’s definitely a bit of a homecoming in a way. It’s one of those races I always wanted to do. I knew I wanted to run it one day. It’s really cool to do it at a high level. I am just really excited to race in a state that I grew up in.”
McNulty’s background certainly makes her well-suited for the marathon. While in high school, the 2015 Feehan grad was a multiple all-stater and champion in track and cross country with bests of 4 minutes, 56.54 seconds for the mile and 10:22.03 for 3,200 meters. She continued her success at Stanford where she was a two-time All American and also a one-time school record-holder for the 10K with an outdoor best of 33:07.41, an effort that still ranks No. 2 all-time in the Cardinal program.
McNulty’s spot among the first wave of runners at Boston was based on some impressive performances over the last 16 months. In December of 2023, she clocked a PR of 2:36.00 at the California International Marathon. It was an effort that qualified her for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, Fla., two months later where she finished 44th overall with a time of 2:37.19. Recently, McNulty won the Napa Valley (Calif.) Half Marathon by nearly two minutes with an all-time best of 1:13.30 for the March 2 race.
For McNulty, the road there hasn’t exactly been easy. No thanks to the injury bug. Just a couple of months after competing at the Trials, McNulty had to deal with a stress fracture in her fibula. Exactly 12 months earlier, so April of 2023, she experienced a stress fracture in her pelvis.
“I have been dealing with bone injuries, so I really have been focusing on how to address nutrition better, making sure I’m eating a lot and healing my body,” she said. “That kind of thing shifts from college running to marathon running. I really needed to focus on that feeling more. I think that was a big change. I wasn’t prioritizing. That has been huge the last year.”
Over the last nine months, McNulty admits that everything has worked out just as planned. Her preparation for Boston right now appears right on point.
“I have struggled with consistency since college,” she noted. “But I’ve had a really, really consistent nine months of training, pretty much building up to this. It’s been going really well. I have been happy with the progress and have been a much better runner in the last marathons that I’ve done.”
McNulty had kept her weekly mileage to what she considers “conservative” when comparing it to what other marathoners at her level often usually train.
“I got up to 95 (miles), but really since October, I have consistently been around 75 miles (per week),” she said. “The consistency between 75-90 has been really good. I have really been focusing on the workouts and the long runs without overdoing the mileage, just to stay healthy, which is my priority, getting to the line healthy.”
Boston is a tricky marathon, one that features a mostly downhill course in elevation for the first two thirds of the race. Runners are then greeted by a roughly four-mile uphill climb in Newton between miles 17-21, commonly referred to as Heartbreak Hill. The course levels off the last five-mile stretch to the finish.
It’s not uncommon for runners to get caught up in the emotions of the race and go out too fast with the favorable terrain
McNulty, who recently signed with Saucony, does have the benefit of her fiancé, who knows a thing or two about marathoning and can keep her grounded come Patriots Day, former Wachusett Regional star Colin Bennie. The 29-year-old Bennie, a 2:09 marathoner, has finished among the top 10 twice at Boston. He was ninth in 2020 and tenth in 2024. He’s also competing on Monday and is listed among the top Americans expected to answer the gun.
“He’s run it a couple of times, so I’m actually really leaning on him for some tactical advice, the same with my coach,” she said. “I am going to try really hard (not to go out too fast), or overdo it. The downhills are going to seem super good at that start. It can catch up to you if you’re not too smart. I am going to focus on the pace range I feel comfortable doing for the length of the race and not get caught up in the momentum. At the same time, trusting myself. It’s a balance.”
As of now, the weather appears to be perfect for Monday’s race with cool temperatures between 30-40 degrees at the start, and then warming up to 50 degrees by noon. There’s also expected to be a slight tailwind. If the forecast holds true, McNulty has a time goal of 2:30 or faster. An effort like that would have placed her 17th at last year’s race and the fourth American.
“That’s the goal,” she said. “I think on a perfect day for me, all things considered with the weather and everything, breaking 2:30 is my time goal. I have been training for that pace and I feel really good about it. Obviously, there is a lot of elements and factors that go into the day. If it’s a great New England day, that’s on the table. It’s kind of the goal.”
McNulty got added confidence that her goal is attainable after last month’s half marathon.
“That one was pretty solo,” she said. “I actually didn’t have a lot of company in that one so I was pretty happy with the results considering where in the training that was and the fact that I didn’t have a lot of people around me. I’m pretty excited . I’m sure there will be a straight group of girls near me. I feel good about my goal.”
McNulty, who resides in San Francisco but will be moving to Boston next month, balances her training with a full-time job as a Senior Consultant for Treya Partners. It’s a job that does have her travel a few times during the year, but also one she is able to do from the comforts of her home.
“Both Colin and I work full-time jobs, but we are also fully remote, which has really helped with balancing a full work schedule and training,” she said. “We both get up early together and get our run in before our morning meetings and have found we are running our best with having this work schedule. But running in college really helped helped me with time management and I’m able to focus on what I’m doing and context switch pretty well.
As for her future in marathoning and competing as an elite runner, McNulty’s not looking too far into the future; rather, she’s taking it year by year. Another run at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2028?
Maybe? Maybe not?
“I have goals in the marathon and stuff,” she said. “At least right now, I don’t know if I’ll get to the point where I’m going to be a top American marathoner. I think I can be pretty good. I just want to get the most out of myself. If that means run 2:28, and I do better than I expect, great. If not, I’ll still feel great. I still have the bug. I don’t know what the three more years will bring. But for the next year or two, I definitely want to see what I can do.”
