Laconia teacher running Boston to finish race her grandfather started

LACONIA — To begin something arduous, it helps to have a source of motivation. For Lindsy Poulin, she has two: Her grandfather Bill and cousin Nicholas.

Poulin, a teacher at Laconia Middle School, will have both of those loved ones lightening her legs and feet and motivating her muscles as she joins thousands of others on the course of the storied Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21.

Poulin, in her eighth year of teaching physical education, is no stranger to athletics. She played basketball as a student at Plymouth State University, and didn’t become a runner until after she graduated. But even before she started running, she had the Boston Marathon in the back of her mind, thanks to the influence of her grandfather.

“It’s always been a goal” to run Boston, she said. It’s a race her grandfather twice started, but both times had to bow out before the finish line. “My goal is to finish for him.”

Poulin started running in 2018, first by doing 5Ks with the Millennium Running Club. She quickly graduated to longer distances, and has run four half-marathons to date. A year ago, she started thinking seriously about Boston and, since she knew she didn’t have the speed to run a qualifying time, had her sights set on the other way to get into the marathon: participating with a fundraising team. That’s when she thought of “my little cousin Nicholas,” she said.

Nicholas, who is now 19 and has Down syndrome, has had his quality of life improved thanks to the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, which provides support, socialization and other enriching opportunities for people like Nicholas. They had a fundraising bib for Poulin, so long as she was willing to commit to raising $14,000 for their cause.

That meant on top of the training necessary to complete the course, Poulin has spent this winter raising money to meet her goal. She has already succeeded, with one fundraiser left on the calendar: from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, at Defiant Records & Craft Beer downtown.

“I want to thank the community for everyone’s support, and everyone who’s donated,” Poulin said, noting her school community has been especially supportive.

She’s felt support for her fundraising, but it’s been a different experience during the hours and miles of her training.

Northern New England runners who want to run in the Boston Marathon are challenged by the calendar. Most training plans have the longest training runs weeks out from the race itself — and during a period when central New Hampshire is still experiencing winter weather. Poulin said her “darkest day” was when she had to run 21 miles, but the weather was so inclement she did it on a treadmill.

That experience isn’t something she’d like to do again. The rest of her runs weren’t much more social, though. She had running friends who would join her for the start of her runs, but not many were interested in double digits. It wasn’t until she got to run in Boston that she realized how solitary her experience had been.

In February, Poulin joined other charity runners training for the marathon for the “Superhero 17 Miler,” an informal warm-up run. She was surprised to see how many people were running together, and had been training together, which was opposite her experience.

“That day, I noticed that I have been alone,” she said.

Well, not entirely.

“There is a man that lives on the corner,” near the school, she said, which is where she has done most of her miles. “Every day when I run, he’s made sure to come out and wave to me and ask how many miles I’m doing.” Those small interactions have been huge for her morale.

“I make sure to loop around his house a few times and get a wave from him.”

Her solitude aside, Poulin feels confident going into the marathon. She won’t be fast, but she’s sure she’ll see the finish line, and will be thinking of both Nicholas and Bill with each step.

“I’ve learned that the human body is something that is incredible,” Poulin said. She recalled how she could hardly walk for days after her first half-marathon, but now she can coach sports teams or instruct a pilates class after a long run with no issues.

“It’s crazy how your body adapts to new things. I keep saying to my athletes and my clients, 'Just be patient and don’t say that you can’t do something.'"