Canton High School native to run in Boston Marathon to raise money for the YMCA

This April, Boston resident Tina Kennedy, 24, will take on her first Boston Marathon, raising funds as part of the YMCA of Greater Boston’s marathon team.

Kennedy, a former Canton High School track and cross country captain who struggled through back injuries, took a break from running long distance during her time at UMass Amherst. Having overcome physical injuries, she is looking at this opportunity as a chance to rediscover the passion she once had for the sport.

A current executive and research associate for The Brennan Group Inc., Kennedy is ready to re-lace her running shoes and give back to the organization that has provided her with so much throughout the years.

“I learned to tie my shoelaces at the Dorchester YMCA,” says Kennedy. “My father worked six days a week, with early morning starts and late evening walks in the door, as the owner of his own construction company, and my mother took on administrative positions while teaching herself business accounting”. “My parents did not have the luxury of leaving early from work to pick me up from school to care for me so they turned to the Y.” Kennedy was placed in after-school programs at the Dorchester YMCA and later spent her summers at the Middleboro-based Old Colony YMCA’s Camp Yomechas when her family moved to Canton. An integral part of her youth was her time spent at the camp, the home of many firsts for Kennedy where she learned to kayak, stayed overnight on the camp grounds, and overcame her fears by climbing 50 ft. in the air on the ropes course.

To this day, Kennedy says that her relationship with the Y has come “full circle.” Since recently moving to the Fenway area, Kennedy has become part of the YMCA’s Huntington Ave. branch where she trains and works out in preparation for the Boston Marathon. Whether it be fitness classes or swimming in the facility’s brand-new pool, Kennedy loves the Y’s atmosphere from the moment she enters the building. “When you walk in the doors they are as kind to you as possible,” says Kennedy. “It has a family feel. No one is an outsider.”

Kennedy feels a mix of emotions as she has not taken on a challenge this endeavoring since her high school track and cross country days. Although it will be her first marathon, Kennedy has enjoyed running local 5K and charity runs. “I fell in love with the whole sport because it is a mental game against yourself,” says Kennedy. “The running culture is a whole different group where you find some real inspiration and people with heart. It is the best thing that ever happened to me and has shaped me into a more confident and outgoing person.” She describes her training process like “riding a bike,” as she is relearning how to run longer distances and reliving the joys that running used to bring her.

Overcoming two back injuries, a bulging disk in high school, and a herniated disk, she developed in the summer of 2013; Kennedy wanted to do something that would be beneficial for herself while helping others. “I don’t want my injuries to define what I can and cannot do in my life,” says Kennedy. This year’s marathon presented itself as an opportunity for growth and for her to get back on the road. Her far-fetched dream is becoming a reality as she prepares herself for the April race.

With the positive impact the YMCA had on her childhood, Kennedy hopes to raise $9,000. All funds raised by Y Marathon team members will support the YMCA of Greater Boston’s teen programs. This past year, the YMCA of Greater Boston handed out more than 11,000 free three-month memberships to teens at the YMCA of Greater Boston’s 13 branches with unlimited access. Most (almost all) teen programs that the YMCA offers are free and open to the community. Programs like Safe Dating and Cyber Bulling have also become staples at the Y, giving more than 1,000 teens the skills they need to make proper decisions.

“YMCA of Greater Boston’s teen programming is an invaluable resource for the youth of our city, keeping them off the streets, out of trouble, and engaged in productive and educational activities,” says Kelley Rice, spokesperson for the YMCA of Greater Boston. “Those too young to work but too old for camp, can take part in safe, social activities with their peers, build their leadership skills and ultimately help shape Boston’s future.”

“The Y is my second family,” says Kennedy. “We are a perfect match and to run and fundraise on behalf of the Y, an organization that fueled my childhood with so many wonderful experiences and helped shape me into the woman I am today, remains second to none.”

For more information on how qualified runners with bibs can join the Y team and raise a minimum of $1,500, email ymarathonteam@ymcaboston.org. To learn more about Y marathon runners and how to support their fundraising efforts for the Y, visit ymcaboston.org/ymarathonteam or https://www.crowdrise.com/YMCABoston2015/fundraiser/tinakennedy. #YRun