Beverly's Kelly Pheulpin's Boston Marathon Journey A Wicked Good Tale

BEVERLY, MA — There was a time when Kelly Pheulpin was not sure she could run for a minute on a treadmill — let alone 26.2 miles.

On April 17, the Beverly resident and vice president of the Wicked North Shore Running Club is looking forward to completing a journey she said she hopes is an example to anybody that you and your body can do amazing things if you make a plan and are committed to seeing it through.

It was about a dozen years ago when Pheulpin told Patch that she began a new exercise regimen as much out of fear and necessity than desire.

"I was almost 300 pounds," she said. "I started to take all kinds of classes to try to lose weight but nothing really worked.

"Finally, my doctor said: 'Enough is enough. You have to get healthier or your husband will be raising your kids by himself.'"

With that stark motivation, she began going to the gym more consistently. She would walk on the treadmill while her workout partner ran.

"I never thought I could run because of my asthma," she said as her friend prompted her to try to run "one minute at a time."

"I can try that," she determined.

Six years later, Pheulpin ran her first marathon in Seattle.

"It was incredible to know that my body could be pushed that far," she said.

(Also on Patch: North Shore Residents To Run Boston Marathon For Dana-Farber Challenge)

She has since run an additional marathon, and two ultra-marathons, and has become an indispensable volunteer with the Wicked Running Club of the North Shore.

On April 17, she will get her first chance to run the Boston Marathon through a bib exemption given to the club for all of its volunteer efforts working at a Mile 17 station where Wicked North Shore members hand out a protein-based "fuel" gel to the runners as they pass by.

"I never thought I would be able to run a Boston because I know I can't qualify for it (time-wise) and would never be able to fundraise all of the money to do that," she said. "That's just not my personality. I applaud the people who do it. But, for me, that's not it.

"But I am great at volunteering."

Because of Wicked Running Club's Marathon service, the club was given two entries each year for members. This year, they were given four, and Pheulpin said club members determined that she and Lauren Gabel, of Boxford, her running partner, Wicked Running Club volunteer co-director and friend, deserved the extra two for all of their efforts through the years.

"I feel that there has been an awful lot of added pressure to perform at Boston because we've gotten this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run through our running club," she said. "But we have committed to it and have really stuck with it. We have surprised ourselves with how fast we are getting."

She said the pair has covered the marathon distance at an average of 6 hours, 20 minutes, but has a goal of under 6 hours on April 17. During their final 20-mile training run, they finished that distance in a tidy, 4 hours, 12 minutes.

"So I think we have a good chance of hitting it," she said of the 6-hour target.

She clarified that the pressure to meet her goal on April 17 comes not from fellow Wicked Running Club members, whom she said have been nothing but supportive, but from wanting to show that she is ready to take full advantage of this next step in her improbable journey.

"I would absolutely tell anybody that if they have a good strong plan they can absolutely do it," she said of her example. "They just have to take it one step, one minute, at a time."

Are you running the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17? Patch wants to tell your story whether you are running for a charity, a time or just to show you can conquer the distance on the historic course. Contact Scott Souza at scott.souza@patch.com ahead of the race to share details of your training journey for inclusion in future posts about Marathon runners from the North Shore.