Another marathon season is approaching, and Allison Taylor is set to run her second Boston Marathon as a member of Team JAF. Allison is keeping her training consistent with her 2025 run so she’s just as prepared, but her second run will be very different.
Allison has always been a runner – she ran competitively in high school and has always dreamed of running the Boston Marathon. During high school and after college, when she moved back to New England, she would attend the marathon to root for the runners, thinking how much she wanted to run it one day.
Though it had always been a dream, an unfortunate personal experience brought Allison to the race. In May 2024, her boyfriend, Matt, was diagnosed with brain cancer. It was all very sudden, overwhelming, and scary, and running became an emotional outlet for her.
“Last year was full of unknowns, and we quickly felt like we lost control of our lives,” Allison remembered. “So, running gave me a sense of control and purpose when I really had no control over what was happening to Matt. It was something that structured my days and gave me forward momentum.”
When Allison decided she wanted to run the marathon for Matt, it was a family connection that brought her to the Joe Andruzzi Foundation. But it was seeing all that Matt was going through that connected her to JAF’s mission.
“[I had] always heard about cancer and thought it was probably expensive, but it’s not something I ever had to know about until I did. I could see how financial hardship could be a real problem for families. Driving into Boston and taking time off from work costs families money. And so, it became really important to me to want to raise money to help other families going through a similar experience.”
Starting to fundraise was an escape for Allison, and it was meaningful to her to see how many people just wanted to help and how generous they were.
It was a successful first run. Allison remembers being proud of how prepared she felt once she started, and of how loud the crowds were, powering through her headphones and taking her all the way through the race. It was especially meaningful that Matt was there through her whole marathon experience.
After a courageous 14-month battle with cancer, Matt passed away in July at just 28 years old. Now running has taken on new meaning for Allison, something that keeps her connected to Matt.
“I used to joke [Matt] was a serial donor – every time there was somebody raising money for some charity, he would always donate. This Marathon run and fundraising effort are in his honor. He would want to help people if he could. Running and training give me purpose, especially raising money for people going through something so close and personal to my heart. Cancer strips so much away; if I could help alleviate at least some of that stress for some families, then it’s worth it.”
Allison continues to get ready for her second race, running during her lunch hour and prep period during her days as a teacher, sometimes getting in as much as eight miles at a time, and doing her long runs on Saturdays. She feels more at ease, knowing she successfully ran last year and that she’ll be okay, and knowing that the connection to Matt will be with her on race day.
“Since I ran and fundraised last year with Matt and he was part of it, it’s really important to me – and it would be to Matt- that I continue with JAF. It aligns with what we went through. We can help more families, and JAF does a really good job of that.”
