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QuickTake:
The famed footrace, which starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and runs 26.2 miles to Boston, draws speedy endurance athletes from all over the world. The 2026 race is April 20.
Diza Hilles ran last year’s Boston Marathon in 3:58:35, averaging just over 9 minutes per mile for 26.2 miles.
In doing so, the Eugene resident earned herself a return trip for 2026. It will be her 12th Boston and her 20th marathon overall.
Boston is rare among marathons. There are only two ways to be allowed to run: The first, and most common, is to run a qualifying time, based on age and gender. It’s a marathon for the speedy.
The second is by promising to raise money for a nonprofit organization associated with the race’s charity program. This requires an extensive application process and in many cases, five-figure fundraising commitments.
Having to qualify lends the race a certain cachet that other marathons — like the Eugene Marathon — don’t have. And that brings runners like Hilles back year after year.
“It really is the fastest runners in their age groups, and the way the town turns out for that day, you feel like you’re an Olympian,” she said.
Hilles, who is 63, had to run 4:20 to qualify for Boston, so she’s much faster than her age-group standard. But she works hard at it. She trains six days per week, often running more than 50 miles per week, under the guidance of Cathie Twomey Bellamy of Eugene Running Club. Three times in recent weeks, she ran 20-milers to prepare for Boston. She also lifts weights to help guard against injury.
“I don’t know if I’m just getting older and smarter, but I just have been able to handle the training blocks really well,” Hilles said. “I stayed injury-free this time, and so I’m super happy. You always wonder if there’ll be some little thing.”
She thinks she’s in shape to go faster this year than last year’s 3:58.
Hilles won’t be the only Lane County resident in the field of approximately 30,000 running the Boston Marathon April 20. Here are the 28 locals who are running:
Eugene
Irene Alltucker, 65
Marisa Biddulph, 27
Will Borrevik, 22
Jack Crowell, 24
Lyndy Davis, 36
Ari Fisher, 36
Mary Follo, 33
Ben Gmelch, 50
Renee Gordon, 46
Rishi Gulati, 24
Amy Hiebert, 48
Diza Hilles, 63
Carson Houchen, 23
Wiley Kohler, 23
Ryan Marquardt, 47
Michael Marshall, 40
Asher McKinnon, 21
Tim Navarrete, 35
Christina Newland, 46
Valerie Sahakian, 35
Mark Scaife, 41
Kimberly Shah, 50
Yefeng Shen, 42
Julie Sullivan, 30
Mark Vermillion, 66
Barbara Vielma, 43
Gabe Wasserman, 25
Florence
Brian Schofield, 30
