Kids & Family

Liz Scott Running the Boston Marathon for Nature Conservancy

Scott, a North Reading resident, is running the Boston Marathon and raising funds for The Nature Conservancy.

Resident Liz Scott is running in the Boston Marathon on April 16 to raise funds for The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit that protects environmental resources for people and nature. 

Scott has wanted to run the Boston Marathon since she was in high school. 

"I remember getting in the mail the Runner's World magazine that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Boston Marathon on the cover. This history of the race inspired me. I framed the magazine and hung it on my wall. I can still picture the blue and gold cover with the marathon medal on it," she said.

Find out what's happening in Readingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

She is inspired by Kathrine Switzer who was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1967. Women were not allowed to participate, and Switzer was attacked by the race director while running. Her boyfriend protected her from the race director, Scott said. 

"She went on to advocate for the women's marathon to be included as an event in the Olympics. She's done so much for women's distance running," Scott said.

Find out what's happening in Readingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While running track and cross country in high school and college, she got injured often during short distances and never thought she could run a marathon. After watching contestants run a marathon during an episode of The Biggest Loser, she decided to train for long distance. Now, Scott runs five days per week and cross trains one day. 

"I'm excited to run Boston for so many reasons," she said. "First, I love the history of the race and community support for the marathon. It's almost as if the whole area gets marathon fever. Second, I'm excited to share the story of The Nature Conservancy with my community, friends and family. It feels really good to share my passion for nature and rally support around me and my efforts."

She has raised $1,600 so far toward her goal of $5,000.

“The money that Liz is raising will help protect the lands and waters that we all need here in Massachusetts. Here in the city, we sometimes forget how big a role nature plays in our everyday lives, and we’re thrilled to bring that message to the Boston Marathon. We’re so proud of Liz, and we’ll have a crowd of Nature Conservancy members and staff cheering her on,” said Director of The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts Wayne Klockner.

Scott has been a resident in North Reading since 2010. She has two children who like to watch her races.

"My daughter has last year's Boston marathon poster hanging in her room. With the kids' sports schedules, we don't have a lot of spare time but when we do, I like to take the kids to explore our local conservation areas like Harold Parker State Park," she said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here