Colleen Nolan Runs for Newton

As she approaches her 50th birthday later this month, Colleen Nolan will soon be marking another milestone: running in her fifth Boston Marathon! But unlike the Waban resident’s previous 26.2-mile journeys, this year’s run will support the Newton Food Pantry.

Colleen has volunteered with the Newton Food Pantry for the past nine years and continues to serve the organization as its bookkeeper. She is a familiar face to anyone who visits the pantry on Wednesday afternoons, when she checks in clients and supports operations from 12-2 p.m. Colleen also served for five years on the Newton Food Pantry’s Board of Directors, including throughout the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping guide the organization during a critical period of growth and need.

While Colleen’s responsibilities have certainly evolved over the years, her commitment to the Newton Food Pantry’s mission has never wavered.

“I love the fact that we’re serving our neighbors in need,” she says. “That we’re supporting our friends and neighbors that we live among. It’s so local and so impactful.”

Colleen says her cold early-morning training runs have certainly gotten harder over the years. But she is also forever inspired by the Newton Food Pantry’s work: the fresh and nutritious groceries that are distributed free of charge, and the steady presence the organization provides its clients in uncertain times. Colleen is working to raise at least $10,000 to support the Newton Food Pantry’s essential hunger-relief work. (You can help by visiting her donation page online.)

“The Newton Food Pantry is such a big part of my life,” says Colleen. “I really appreciate that so many people throughout Newton have been generously supporting my run, and some of them have never before donated to the Pantry. I really hope they continue for years to come.”

Colleen ran her first marathon in 2018, and she earned her race bib that year by raising money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She says she’s hoping to complete the course this year in under 3 hours and 50 minutes to qualify for next year’s marathon. Her personal-best marathon time was 3:39, at the Philadelphia Marathon in 2021.

“I’m so excited for this year’s race,” she says. “It ties together my competitive side, my passionate side, and my love for the Newton Food Pantry. I’m incredibly happy I can help spread the word throughout Newton and beyond about the important work we do.”