Peabody's Jenny Lima-Angel Fights To 2021 Boston Marathon Finish

PEABODY, MA — Eighteen months ago, Peabody resident Jenny Lima-Angel and her husband suffered for two weeks from the punishing effects of a scary new disease overtaking the world.

On Monday, the coronavirus survivor completed her journey from "the worst 14 days of my life" to the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

The 39-year-old Peabody mother of four said it was her daunting bout with COVID that convinced her to reach for her goals and seize every moment.

"When sickness strikes, nothing matters," she told Patch. "If we want to have a good life, we need to start now.

"Health habits and short runs with my dog were the beginning of my training. To the point where Messi (her golden doodle) did not want to run with me because I was running longer routes. That when I thought: 'I can do it.'"

Lima-Angel said she did not receive an official number when she first applied for the postponed Marathon, but as more spots became available for the 125th running postponed from April to Monday she was able to secure one.

She arrived at the starting line in Hopkinton knowing inside she could do it, but still battling the ".001 percent" nagging doubt of the unknown deep down inside.

She said she then persevered for 20 miles before she saw a runner collapse right in front of her.

"At that moment fear overtook me, and suddenly the .001 percent got bigger," she said. "I thought to myself: 'That could be me.'"

She said that's when she reached for her phone and saw a message from her sisters that they were waiting for her at Mile 25 along with her children, with a few words of encouragement that restored Lima-Angel's faith in herself: "Go, go, go ... You got this."

"So I thought: 'This is what I trained for. I can do it," she said. "I shook off the doubts and kept going."

Lima-Angel finished the 26.2 miles in 4 hours, 46 minutes.

"I did it," she said. "It was the greatest feeling when I passed the finish line. The support of my family and all the cheering from the crowds helped me accomplish it.

"You literally train your body for 20 miles and (will yourself) mentally for 26 miles."

Did you run this year's Boston Marathon? Patch wants to why and how it went after the race. Email scott.souza@patch.com with a photo and tell us your story.

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