Winthrop’s Jillian Dempsey, who just led the Boston Pride to the top of her sport for the second consecutive year, will be leading in another big-time athletic venue Monday.
Dempsey will be serving as Grand Marshal of this year’s Boston Marathon, arguably the most famous long distance running event in the world.
It’s a huge honor, to say the least.
Dempsey will be in a 2022 Honda Passport SUV leading more than 30,000 runners from Hopkinton to the finish line on Boylston. It’s an historic day for the Marathon as it is the 50th anniversary of the first women’s race in 1972.
The Marathon will be broadcast live on CBS Boston WBZ-TV and the USA Network.
Dempsey’s Boston Pride and former Harvard teammate, Mary Parker, will also serve as Grand Marshal.
The Sun Transcript asked Jillian Dempsey, women’s professional hockey’s all-time leading scorer, a few Marathon-related questions this week in an interview:
Following are the hometown hockey star’s responses:
WST: Have you ever competed in a marathon or long-distance running event?
JD: I have never competed in a marathon before. My only long-distance running was middle school cross-country with Mr. Kirby!
WST: Have you attended any previous Boston Marathons?
JD: I’ve attended the Boston Marathon many times in the past. It will be such an enjoyable experience to participate in the event this way!
WST: Have any of your family members or friends from professional hockey, Harvard, or Winthrop competed in the Marathon?
JD: My uncle Matthew ran the 85th Boston Marathon. One of my former teammates, Cherie Hendrickson, has competed at least 12 times and raised close to 90K in her lifetime for Dana Farber. My friend and former teammate, Denna Laing, who suffered a spinal cord injury, teamed up with Bobby Carpenter to compete in the Boston Marathon in 2017.