Teacher takes part in virtual Boston Marathon

Students cheer on history teacher Jeffrey Cohen running marathon

Social+studies+teacher+Jeffrey+Cohen+runs+across+the+finish+line+of+his+virtual+Boston+Marathon+race+Sep+7.+Cohen+decided+to+run+the+marathon+virtually+after+it+got+cancelled+earlier+this+year.

Molly Schochet

Social studies teacher Jeffrey Cohen runs across the finish line of his virtual Boston Marathon race Sep 7. Cohen decided to run the marathon virtually after it got cancelled earlier this year.

Tobias Khabie and Molly Schochet

After the Boston Marathon was cancelled for 2020, teacher and former Marathon attendee Jeffrey Cohen decided he would run the marathon virtually on Sep. 7.

“They canceled the Boston Marathon, which I was supposed to run again this year. They actually postponed it first, and then they just canceled it for 2020,” Cohen said. “Then they gave everybody who was registered the opportunity to do a virtual race anywhere in the world, upload their course and their time, and still get the medal and everything else.” 

After learning Cohen would be running the marathon solo this year Junior Ella Roether, a former student of Cohen, said she came up with the idea to invite her fellow classmates to cheer Cohen.

“We were helping volunteer in Cohen’s classroom and he was telling us about it, and we felt bad he wasn’t able to run it with people cheering him on,” Roether said. “So, we all volunteered and got a group together and helped to orchestrate it to make it possible for him to have a crowd cheering him on.”

According to junior Gracia Rettig, both the students and Cohen’s family met up with Cohen at different points on his course, most importantly at the finish line.

“We met up in the beginning and sent him off on his journey, and we met him at a few different mile markers cheering him on a little bit just watching him go,” Rettig said. “Then, we went to Party City, and we got a whole bunch of balloons, streamers, a little bit of paper to create a finish line for the end for Cohen, and then we waited for him and he came through.”

I heard that there was a surprise (at the finish), but I didn’t know what it was. Then all of a sudden, I see my little group and a finish line and balloons and signs, and it was just absolutely incredible.

— Jeffrey Cohen, teacher

Cohen said he is not only thankful for the people there to cheer him on, but also for the two students, juniors Andy Melear and Mona Regan, who biked the last 20 miles alongside him.

“I had Andy and Mona biking with me, feeding me water and (students) all cheering me on and my family, it was just unbelievable. It’s hard to even describe how cool and unique it ended up being,” Cohen said. 

According to Regan, she and Melear decided to bike along with him to keep up morale. 

“We heard that he was doing it and we just wanted to be there for support and water, and just company,” Regan said.

Roether said she loved being able to see Cohen finish the marathon after watching him persist through the course.

“Seeing him at the finish line and being able to celebrate him finishing it (was the best part), because he worked really hard,” Roether said.

According to Cohen, he enjoyed the end of the race because of the fanfare the students brought to cheer him on.

“I heard that there was a surprise (at the finish), but I didn’t know what it was,” Cohen said. “Then all of a sudden, I see my little group and a finish line and balloons and signs, and it was just absolutely incredible.”