Allie Weis says running and her spiritual life are a good match.
“When you’re running, it’s very cathartic,” the 28-year-old graduate of Maryvale Preparatory School and Loyola University Maryland said. “You have a chance to let it all go and reflect.
“Even though you’re doing something physical, it’s a chance to just mentally slow down and let things take their course. Running is very much like trusting in the Lord,” she said. “Things might not go as you planned, but you just have to keep the faith and trust that it will all work out.”
Weis will compete in her first Boston Marathon April 20, running the 130th edition of the iconic event to raise funds for cancer research in honor of her late mother.
She will fly over for the week, taking a break from her job at Howest University of Applied Sciences in Belgium (Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen). She works in the university’s Digital Arts and Entertainment school, collaborating with gaming developers.
Weis landed in Belgium in 2020 after earning a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English to refugees in the country. She taught at the university with campuses in the Belgian cities of Bruges and Kortrijk and took a job there once her Fulbright appointment ended.
The race in Boston will be only Weis’ second marathon after she finished the Brussels Marathon in 3 hours, 46 minutes this past November.
The former Maryvale cross country and track runner will run the Boston Marathon as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, a team of runners raising funds to support cancer research and patient care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Terrie Weis, her mother who died of thymoma in 2017, was a graduate of the Institute of Notre Dame in Baltimore and was active in the Baltimore Catholic school community.
Allie and her twin, Amanda, and older sister, Leslie, all attended Maryvale Preparatory School and Loyola University, and brother Anthony Jr. attended St. Joseph School in Cockeysville. The family, including father Anthony Sr., are parishioners of the Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier in Hunt Valley.
“I ran cross country and track and field over a decade ago and was super passionate about running – though after my mom passed away, I lost the spark a bit,” Allie Wies said. “In the past couple of years, I’ve really discovered the beauty of running for a purpose – whether that be in honor of loved ones, to celebrate simply being able to move your body, to care for yourself and show up for yourself in a way that you.”
Her fundraising goal for the marathon is $14,275. She’s been busy with those efforts since December, when she was accepted onto the team.
To make a donation or read more about her cause, visit tinyurl.com/26-marathon
BOSTON MARATHON FACTS
What: 130th running of 26.2-mile race from Hopkinton, Mass., to Boston, first organized in 1897 by the Boston Athletic Association
When: April 20, 9 a.m.
Runners: This year’s race is expected to feature 30,000 racers. Runners must qualify by time in other marathons to compete or be accepted as part of a charitable group. Qualifying times range from 2:55.00 to 5:20.0 hours, depending on age and sex.
Spectators: More than 500,000 are expected to watch the event in person
TV: ESPN2
More information: baa.org/races/boston-marathon
Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org
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