A Marathon…and a Sprint! Recounting Layne Petrie’s Amazing Training and Fundraising Efforts

Layne Petrie didn’t receive notification that she would be an official entrant in this year’s Boston Marathon until March 22.

That gave the 33-year-old Winthrop School Committee member about four weeks to prepare for the 26.2-mile run from Hopkinton to Boston.

Petrie had competed in two previous Boston Marathons independently in 2011 and 2012 for charity and in 2013 to raise funds for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

“That was the year of the bombing,” recalled Petrie. “I was stopped at Hereford Street.”

Receiving an Official Number

Ten years after her last run in the Marathon, Petrie was presented with an opportunity to return to the field as an official runner.

“A friend of mine was good friends with Krystle Campbell, who was killed in the bombing,” said Petrie. “My friend had assembled a marathon team for a charity in memory of Krystle. I had been an alternate and didn’t expect to be a member of the team for this year’s Marathon. but Poland Springs secured two more bib numbers and I was able to officially join the team on March 22.

“I always said that I wanted to run at least one more Boston Marathon, so my daughter [Charlotte, a first grader at Gorman Fort Banks School] could see me run it. She was there for me at Mile 26.”

The other members of Layne Petrie’s rooting section at the finish line included Charlotte’s father, Pat Sullivan, Layne’s mother, Cindy Petrie and her partner, Mike Goodwin, and her sister, Kayla Petrie and her fiancé, Jaiden. Meanwhile, Layne’s sister, Christy Petrie, and her boyfriend, Chris, were supporters at the starting line in Hopkinton.

Petrie finished the race in a time of 4 hours, 48 minutes. She helped raise more than $3,500 for charity, exceeding her original goal of $2,000.

“The crowds were shoulder-to-shoulder along the whole course,” said Petrie. “It was an awesome experience. I believe running a marathon is all mental and that anyone who truly wants to run a marathon, can do it. I hope I inspire other people to do it.”

Training for the Marathon

With just four weeks advanced notice, Petrie launched a training regimen to ensure that she could handle the hilly 26.2-mile course.

“I gave myself a litmus test,” said Petrie. “I tried running on the treadmill for an hour, and if I wasn’t in significant physical pain after, I would do the Marathon. I felt good afterward and decided to run the Marathon.”

Petrie competed in a half-marathon the following weekend and 20-mile run the next weekend, “and then two weeks later I ran the Boston Marathon.”

Excelling at Wareham High School

The pre-Marathon mental and physical preparations were likely bolstered by the fact that the 5-foot-10-inch Layne Petrie had been a lifelong, standout athlete, especially so at Wareham High School where she excelled in volleyball, basketball, and track. She also played varsity tennis and for one season competed on the boys’ cross country team.

“I wouldn’t say I was a great athlete, but I was naturally, athletically inclined,” said Petrie.

More importantly, Layne Petrie was a superstar scholar, having been the third-ranked student in her graduating class and serving as president of the National Honor Society.

She earned an academic scholarship to prestigious Boston College, where she studied Psychology and Biology and competed for the BC Eagles’ rowing team. She also holds a Master’s degree from UMass Boston in Education with a focus in Behaviorial Analysis. She works as a special education administrator in the Boston Public Schools.

Reflecting on her high school career at Wareham, Petrie said she was in her junior year when the Tony Fucillo-coached Winthrop Vikings defeated the Wareham Vikings, 25-8, in the 2007 Super Bowl at Stonehill College.

“I was at the [Wareham-Winthrop] Super Bowl game,” said Petrie. “I had no idea whatsoever that I would be living in Winthrop one day. The people in Winthrop like to remind me of that game.”

Moving to Winthrop and Serving on the SC

While she was a student at BC, Petrie would accompany her friend on visits to her friend’s mother’s house in Winthrop.

“I came to Winthrop on study breaks to hang out at the beach,” said Petrie. “That was my first introduction.”

Petrie said when she was looking to buy a house, she happened to be in Winthrop one day and “stumbled upon an open house [viewing].”

“That was just another scenario where the stars just aligned, and I happened to get the house,” said Petrie, who was 25 years old at the time.

Petrie said she intends to run for re-election to the Winthrop School Committee this fall.

“I think my skill set and passion are with education, public education in particular,” said Petrie. “I want to use my skills where they’re going to be helpful to my community.”

A special education administrator herself, Petrie lauds Supt. of Schools Lisa Howard’s commitment in the field.

“I think Winthrop is very lucky to have a superintendent who comes with a special education background,” said Petrie.