Sippican School Teacher to Run Boston Marathon

Nicole Boussy from Sippican School will be lacing up her sneakers on April 16 in Boston for the run of her life.

Boussy will join 44 other runners from 4 countries and 21 different American states in the 122nd Boston Marathon for charity team 261 Fearless, a global running organization for women. 261 Fearless.org is a relatively new nonprofit organization benefitting women’s running initiatives from legendary marathoner, Kathrine Switzer.

In 1967, Switzer became the first registered women to compete in the Boston Marathon. At that time, the race was considered a male-only event, but, using her initials, Switzer managed to obtain an official bib, No. 261. Mid-stride in the competition, an angry race director leapt from the press truck and attempted to pull Switzer from the race without success. Switzer got to the finish and changed running forever. The photo of the incident became one of Time-Life’s “100 Photos That Changed the World.”

“Switzer not only broke the glass starting line,” says Boussy, “But she continued to champion the cause of women’s running for the next fifty years. 261 Fearless – a global women’s running network – is the result. This nonprofit organization uses running to empower women nationally and internationally. That’s why I’m running for 261 Fearless.”

“It is a joy to support women like Nicole in the 122nd Boston Marathon,” said Switzer. “What was a dramatic incident fifty years ago became instead a defining moment for me and women runners like Nicole. The result is nothing less than a social revolution; there are now more women runners in the United States than men, and these women are both fearless and compassionate, wanting to help other women around the world achieve their goals. Because of women like Nicole, 261 Fearless will be able to spread our message globally.”

“I know I have hard work ahead of me,” confesses Boussy, who runs before commuting from the South Shore to Marion and during her lunch break. She says she’s also trying to raise $7,500 for 261 Fearless. “With the money we raise, 261 Fearless is able to help establish social running Clubs and create coaches’ education and communication programs, in our community, communities all over the United States and beyond,” enthused Boussy. “We aim to bring women together globally and help them discover with joy the healthy benefit of being active. This is a wonderful way to continue to give back and support other women long after the Boston Marathon. Every woman out there deserves a chance to experience the wellbeing factors of running.”

Despite an inauspicious beginning, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) early on realized the seriousness of women’s desire to participate and the potential of their endurance. In 1972, five years after the ‘Switzer Incident,’ the BAA welcomed women as official competitors, becoming the first major marathon to do so. This year, the Boston Athletic Association has continued its commitment to women’s running by inviting the 261 Fearless team to participate in the 122n d running of the Boston Marathon on April 16, 2018.

To donate on Nicole Boussy’s behalf, visit www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/261fearlessboston2018/nicoleboussy.

To learn more about the nonprofit 261 Fearless, please visit www.261fearless.org.

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