Springfield College student prepares to run in Boston Marathon after fitness journey

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -A Springfield College student is gearing up to run as part of a charity team at the Boston Marathon on Monday.

A back injury started her on the path to running in this event.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Springfield College graduate student Gianna Napoli pursued her passion for fitness after recovering from a back injury and losing nearly 70 pounds.

“I lost weight after I hurt my back, so I went a while with like not working out I’ve always been active, so I definitely missed it a lot,” said Gianna Napoli, a Springfield College graduate student.

Napoli told Western Mass News that’s when she took up running.

“I just kind of just fell in love with seeing how far you could push yourself and I would just run all of the time and it just became something that was a second part of my life I really found something that you know I enjoyed and that kept me active,” said Napoli.

Napoli ran her very first marathon in June of 2021 and did the David Goggins challenge, running four miles every four hours for 48 hours. But now, she is lacing up her running shoes for a new challenge, the Boston Marathon, the oldest marathon in the world.

“People say it’s a day like no other and I’m just super excited…Just being able to be at the start line in such a small town and then to run all the way and finish in the city of Boston, is just, it’s going to be a once in a lifetime experience,” she said.

Napoli is running with the Boston Athletic Association charity team, an organization focused on physical activity opportunities for kids. Napoli raised nearly $8,000 for a cause she is passionate about.

“I’m a firm believer in lifelong physical activity and if I can raise money to provide that to other students who don’t have that opportunity, that made it so much easier when I was raising money, telling people my passion behind it,” said Napoli.

Napoli is also grateful to represent the city of Springfield as she wraps up her time at Springfield College.

“Leaving my mark here and kind of like a sendoff from the city of Springfield will mean a lot to me because this school has given me a lot …One of my professors canceled class on Monday because I’m running it so it’s kind of like everyone supports you and I’m just really grateful that it’s kind of like my graduation’s in a few weeks but this is my real sendoff,” she said.

Napoli told us post-marathon, she plans to rest, hit the bike, then prepare for her next marathon.

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