A ‘Celebration of Life’ for Needham Marathon Runners
April 18, 2025
• Ahead of the 129th Boston Marathon, locals extolled the joy and revelry the race brings.
Needham runners aged 19 through 71 will step across the starting line at Hopkinton with their sights set on Boylston Street and a medal to boot. Hometown marathoners will join tens of thousands of runners over the 26.2 mile journey through Greater Boston on Monday.
It’s a course Rick Winkler is all too familiar with. This year marks his 25th consecutive Boston Marathon. As he puts it, “I started it, and I haven’t stopped.”
When Winkler lived near the finish line, Marathon Monday was inescapable — he recalls watching the 100th Boston Marathon back in 1996 and feeling a desire “to do something iconic.”
The marathon keeps him in shape, but Winkler said it’s much bigger than that. Over the years, he’s raised close to $170,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the impact of that fundraising is tangible.
“It’s become part of me,” Winkler said. “I have that Dana-Farber singlet, and the thank-yous I get, it really is powerful.”
The community spirit of Marathon Monday is particularly exciting for first-time marathoner Ashley Jenkins. As she trained along the course, Jenkins got a taste of that enthusiasm, as drivers honked and waved as they passed by.
Growing up watching the marathon, Jenkins said running the race herself feels like a full-circle moment and one she can finally check off her bucket list before her 40th birthday.
“There’s a sense of pride when it comes to Boston and the marathon,” she said. “I can’t put into words how special this has been. Kind of crazy it’s coming to an end.”
The driving force behind Jenkins’ run is her 2-year-old son Ryan, who has a genetic disorder called PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome. She’s running for Boston Children’s Hospital, where the family often seeks treatment, and Ryan will be her patient partner.
She’s raised more than $20,000 for the hospital ahead of the marathon. Hitting that goal was emotional, she said.
“I think just seeing him go through a lot of hard things made me be like, ‘It’s now or never, this is the time to do it, especially on behalf of him,’” Jenkins said. “Everything they’ve done for Ryan is really so meaningful, this year especially, so [it] definitely gives me chills.”
Marlene O’Donnell’s fundraising was also a personal endeavor. On behalf of her brother-in-law Ed, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, O’Donnell has raised more than $27,000 for Team End ALZ this year. That money will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.
During every marathon she runs, O’Donnell dedicates a mile to someone special. Throughout much of this year’s race, O’Donnell’s 16th Boston Marathon, Ed and her family will be top of mind, she said.
O’Donnell painted her nails blue and yellow for the occasion and set out for a last-minute run in Newton on Thursday night. At 70 years old, and with close to 50 marathons under her belt, she relishes the antics of the marathon, including Santa Claus in Newton and the screaming tunnel of Wellesley College students.
“It’s a celebration of life, hearing everyone screaming, yelling, cheering,” she said. “It’s just such a joy.”
Chris Klucznik qualified for the race and will join the first wave of runners on Monday. A nervous energy usually swells in Hopkinton, though Klucznik said his jitters have mostly subsided, having already run about 20 marathons.
Ahead of Klucznik’s 10th Boston Marathon, he’s feeling positive. He spoke to Needham Local just before picking up his bib at the marathon exposition in Boston, where he enjoys mingling with other runners and seeing the freshly painted finish line by Copley Square.
The course, however, can be punishing. Unlike the Chicago Marathon, which is fairly flat, Boston runners contend with plenty of hills and unsavory weather, Klucznik said.
Rolling hills at the start of the race pose a challenge, he said — in Newton Lower Falls and Wellesley, runners try not to go too fast downhill, and after a series of hills on Commonwealth Avenue and Heartbreak Hill, “your quads are completely shot.”
The Boston Marathon also stands out for its immense turnout.
“Chicago, yes, I love the flat course, but I would say it’s 80% just crickets out there, and the part where you’re hurting, there’s just no one there,” he said. “For me, Boston, just that energy, you feed off of it. Even when you’re having a tough day, the crowd is there to pick you up.”
Heartbreak Hill gets a bad rap, but Jordan Glicksman says people are “dead wrong.” After the turn onto Commonwealth Avenue past the Newton Firehouse, between mile 17 and 18, stands the toughest hill for him. It’s why his family plans to watch from Newton City Hall around mile 19 to cheer him on.
Glicksman is working through a calf strain, which required him to reduce his training, but he’s feeling energized going into Monday. This will be Glicksman’s third marathon, having first run in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2010 and Boston just last year.
After his first, he swore he’d never run another — “I couldn’t walk for a week afterwards,” he said — but several half marathons and 10Ks, the opportunity presented itself, and it was a hard one to turn down. He’s also signed up for the Chicago Marathon this October.
“I caught the bug again,” Glicksman said.
Stan Chokler crossed the 2024 finish line holding hands with his wife Elena. The couple ran the entire course together, and “sharing that experience was definitely amazing,” he said. It was Elena’s first marathon and Stan’s second.
The Choklers fundraised for Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, which works with patients recovering from accidents and health difficulties. Watching people relearn to walk and return to their lives inspired Stan to help make a difference, he said.
Onlookers also inspire him to push toward the finish, he said. On practice runs, Choker listens to music, but on marathon day, the headphones come off.
“Without the Boston crowd, I definitely wouldn’t be able to make it,” Chokler said.
For a complete list of all 56 Needham runners and their bib numbers, visit the Boston Athletic Association website.
