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Biddeford woman runs Boston Marathon in honor of late mother

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Biddeford woman runs Boston Marathon in honor of late mother


Jessica Johnson of Biddeford will run her fourth Boston Marathon next week. (Courtesy of Jessica Johnson)

Running the storied Boston Marathon is probably every runner’s dream. But for Jessica Johnson, a Biddeford resident and Massabesic Middle School teacher, it wasn’t an overwhelming desire that prompted her. It was boredom.

“I was bored during COVID,” she said. “I was just bored, so I laced up my sneakers, and off I went.” 

The other reason, and one of her biggest motivators for running marathons, is her mother, who died of brain cancer in 2002.

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All of Johnson’s races have been in her honor.

This year, Johnson is running in partnership with Dana Farber Cancer Institute raising money for cancer research. 

“My mom would’ve been my biggest cheerleader,” she said. “I always think of my mom.” 

Johnson’s mom often shows up in mysterious ways on marathon courses. Two years ago, Johnson got very sick on the Boston Marathon course. 

“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “I probably shouldn’t have kept going, but I did.” 

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At Mile 15, Johnson stopped at a bus that was there to pick up runners who needed to step away from the course. 

She asked her mom for a sign to keep going. 

“Her favorite song came on the bus radio,” Johnson said. “I finished the race for her.” 

Johnson started running at the end of 2021, and by 2022, she qualified for her first half marathon. Since then, she has completed marathons across the country, including three Boston Marathons.

Johnson’s young daughters meet her at the finish line each year. (Courtesy of Jessica Johnson)

Next week, on April 20, she will run the Boston Marathon for the fourth time on its 130th anniversary, alongside 30,000 fellow runners. 

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Founded in 1897, the Boston Marathon is one of the pinnacles of racing for marathon runners. It was one of the first to allow women to compete, and the first to feature a wheelchair division. 

Each year, over 500,000 spectators line up along the course to cheer on runners — from Hopkinton, to Natick, to Newton and finally, the finish line in Boston’s Copley Square, where Johnson’s daughters will be waiting for her. 

Johnson’s daughters have motivated her to finish the race every time, she said. 

“I’m always looking to set an example of what hard work does,” Johnson said. “But it’s also about body positivity. I work really hard to get out there, and that’s what I want to show them.” 

Each year, Johnson runs the marathon in honor of her mother, who passed away from brain cancer. (Courtesy of Jessica Johnson)

Johnson also runs to honor others who have lost their lives to cancer. Year after year, she asks her community who they would like to honor, and writes their names on her arms. 

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“Why not find a way to honor other people’s memories too?” she said. 

While each of her marathons has been powerful and uplifting, next week’s race will be her last. 

She hopes to run a different marathon each spring, something she can’t do while running in Boston. 

“I want a personal record on this one. That will give me closure,” she said. “I’m going to go out with a bang.” 

Johnson is still fundraising for the race, and donations can be made through her Venmo, @RunForResearch. All proceeds will benefit Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

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With Columbia Threadneedle out, Boston Triathlon director is looking for a new sponsor – The Boston Globe

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With Columbia Threadneedle out, Boston Triathlon director is looking for a new sponsor – The Boston Globe


Michael O’Neil is on the hunt for the next John Hancock.

As many Boston sports fans know, the insurance company first sponsored the Boston Marathon 40 years ago, helping usher in the modern professional era of the race as well as tens of millions of dollars in community fund-raising each year.

O’Neil wants to make a similar leap for the race he runs, the Boston Triathlon. This will be the first year without a naming-rights sponsor after nine years with Ameriprise Financial-owned Columbia Threadneedle Investments. O’Neil is seeking a successor that can help make an impact on the race the way Hancock once did with the marathon, a sponsorship role now played by Bank of America.

“We’re looking for that next transformational partner that wants to do something like that,” O’Neil said.

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The 18-year-old triathlon draws nearly 2,500 athletes to Carson Beach in South Boston each August, for sprint and Olympic-distance triathlons, and also features free kids’ races the day before at the same location; Amazon has been a big sponsor for the “Kids Day” events.

O’Neil says he would like to extend the race beyond loops in South Boston to showcase more of the city and boost tourism; the Meet Boston tourism bureau is also among the race’s sponsors. Another hope of O’Neil’s: to continue community efforts that he and his race management firm, Ethos, undertook with support from Columbia Threadneedle, including donations to Boston Medical Center and the city’s “Swim Safe” program to provide swim lessons for kids. (O’Neil started an affiliated nonprofit to help expand this community work in 2024.)

He expects the race’s naming-rights sponsorship to cost “in the mid-six figures” annually.

“We’re over this hump now, after 18 years, we’re an institution,” O’Neil said. “We’re seeking a Boston-based company, that’s headquartered here or has a large presence here, that wants to make an impact on the community. … We know how to do that.”

This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene.

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Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.





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Red Sox Star ‘Open’ to Trade Talks With Boston’s Season Spiraling

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Red Sox Star ‘Open’ to Trade Talks With Boston’s Season Spiraling


Although it is just June 22, it’s certainly starting to seem like the Boston Red Sox could end up being sellers later on this summer when the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline gets here.

Boston took two out of three games from the Seattle Mariners over the weekend, but still finds itself 13 games under .500 at 31-44. Right now, Boston is six games out of an American League Wild Card spot as well. Boston needs a long winning streak to turn the tide. If not, the club will certainly trade pieces away. The conversation has gotten loud enough around the team that Red Sox starter Sonny Gray said he “would be open” to having a conversation about waiving his no-trade clause if someone from the club approached him about it to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.

“If someone came to me from the Red Sox and made a decision that that’s the direction that this team was going to go, I would be open for a conversation,” Gray said to Healey. “Whatever happens from then, only time will tell. But I would be open for a conversation.

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Could Sonny Gray Be The Next Star Out Of Boston?

Jun 18, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images
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“Holding veto power is ‘an earned thing’ and means a lot, Gray said. He negotiated it into the three-year, $75 million deal he signed with the Cardinals heading into 2024.”

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When it comes to Gray, he has been a major addition for Boston so far this season. He has a 3.12 ERA in 13 starts to go along with a 55-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 69 1/3 innings pitched. Gray is also 8-1 on the season. Even in a campaign full of losses for Boston, Gray has been able to consistently be a stopper for the club.

If he were to become available, he would be an intriguing, although imperfect trade candidate. From a talent perspective, he’s awesome and would help a contender. But from a contract point of view, he has a $30 million mutual option for the 2027 season with a $10 million buyout. Mutual options rarely get picked up. The buyout is very high and could be a barrier. That will be a bridge to cross later on, though. What’s important to note right now is the fact that Gray is “open” to a conversation about a trade. It doesn’t mean that it will happen, but it’s possible.

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Jets were 300 feet apart in Boston close call that forced Delta flight to abort landing, expert says

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Jets were 300 feet apart in Boston close call that forced Delta flight to abort landing, expert says


BOSTON (AP) — A Delta Air Lines jet was roughly 300 feet (90 meters) from an American Airlines plane during a close call at Boston’s airport that forced the Delta aircraft to abort a weekend landing attempt, an aviation expert said Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident between two commercial flights that happened Saturday at Boston Logan International Airport.

Todd Curtis, a former safety engineer at Boeing, estimated the distance between the two jetliners using Flightradar24, a website that tracks flights. Curtis now coproduces a podcast about flight safety issues.

“This is a significant incident,” Curtis said, adding that it was particularly concerning because it involved two professional airline crews.

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He said federal aviation officials have been concerned about such runway incursions for a while now and will scrutinize Saturday’s close call.

Near-misses and runway incursions at U.S. airports will be the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation will seek ways to strengthen safety across the national airspace system.

The Delta flight from Dallas had to execute a go-around, or aborted landing, to avoid the American plane departing from an intersecting runway, according to the FAA and flight logs.

The crew of Delta flight 2351 coordinated with air traffic control to perform the go-around, an airline spokesperson said. The plane, which had 129 passengers and six crew members on board, landed safely and deplaned normally, according to the spokesperson.

Go-arounds are safe, routine procedures performed at the discretion of the pilot or air traffic controllers, according to the FAA.

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