Boston Marathon Profile: Cheri Sawin

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough has 16 residents running in this year's Boston Marathon.

Marlborough Patch highlights those runners in the next few weeks.

Today, we meet Cheri Sawin, who is 48. Good luck, Cheri!

Reason for running: To raise money and create awareness for NORD; the National Organization for Rare Disorders. I am honored to be part of NORD's Running for Rare Team. They pair you up with a patient partner who you advocate for throughout your training time. My patient partner is named Erica. She is 34 years old and has a rare disease called MPS 1 Hurler-Scheie. She's had almost 70 surgeries to date. She does not let her disease define her life and I find her attitude towards living with this disease to be incredibly inspiring. Running Boston has always been a dream, and being a part of this team allows me to do that while raising money and awareness for Rare Diseases. (I'm way too slow to qualify!)

Marathon experience: This will be my second marathon. I completed my first in October of 2017 in Narragansett, RI.

Training tip: Allow two solid days prior to race day to carbo load. Hydrate hydrate hydrate! Drink even if you don't think you're thirsty, and take energy Gels (Gu, Clif Shot) every 45 min to an hour. Allow adequate time to cool down. Walk walk and walk some more to allow your heart rate to go down.

Best music to run to: A fast beat with a catchy tune. A lot of my music is from tracklists that come from my kickboxing class. High energy with a good beat.

Photo submitted

Are you running the Boston Marathon? We'd love to feature you, too. Email charlene.arsenault@patch.com.