On most days, somewhere between soundchecks and late-night sets, Jeff DaRosa laces up his running shoes and steps into a quieter world.

For nearly two decades, the 43-year-old has been a multi-instrumentalist for Dropkick Murphys, the Boston-bred Celtic punk band synonymous with packed venues and relentless touring — most recently with their new split album “New England Forever,” released March 17. 

Discipline, by his own admission, was never part of that life.

But this April, he’ll take on a different kind of stage: the 2026 Boston Marathon, running in support of the Claddagh Fund — and, in many ways, for himself.

‘It’s kind of like a drug’

Running first entered DaRosa’s life casually — some 5Ks with his sister, a turkey trot, the occasional half marathon. It had a subtle pull.

“It’s kind of like a drug,” he said. “You just need a little more. You find it to be more attainable.”

Still, running Boston — one of the world’s most iconic races — felt distant. After the 2013 bombings, and the band’s performance at the Boston Strong benefit show, the idea lodged in the back of his mind. 

“It was this weird fantasy,” he said. “Like, maybe one day.”

A turning point at 40

For years, the demands of touring kept the fantasy at bay. The band’s annual March run of St. Patrick’s Day shows always collided with marathon training season, making serious preparation impossible.

The shift came when DaRosa turned 40. He quit drinking — on Marathon Monday, coincidentally — and found himself craving something new.

“I was just a rock musician that kind of didn’t have much discipline in my life. All I had to do was be on stage,” he said.

Offstage, life was accelerating. A father of three, he felt time slipping. 

“I was really craving to hold on a little tighter to life or something.”

Running became an antidote — a form of meditation, he said, that made him feel more present and grounded.

Starting over

Since getting sober, running has become both ritual and anchor — even on tour. He recently wrapped a five-week run of shows while training nearly every day.

His approach is simple: “I just wake up and go,” he said. “If I think, it totally stalls me out. I have a coffee. I go.”

In that repetition, he’s found what he’d been missing. “It’s been a life changer for me — the discipline I so badly craved.”

He trains mostly alone, though friends cheer him on and join him for the longer efforts when schedules align. Even mid-run, listening to music, his mind drifts to gratitude. 

“The whole time, I’ll be thinking about how grateful I am for my kids,” he said. “It’s so weird.”

Lessons from the road — and the race

DaRosa ran his first marathon in 2024 at the Mesa Marathon in Arizona — an experience he called, with a laugh, “a disastrous situation.”

By mile 15 he was limping, and an 89-year-old runner beside him offered simple wisdom: that’s why they call it a marathon.

He finished anyway. 

“Part of this experience for me is to show my kids that you work at something, and you can do it.”

That lesson reshaped how he sees the sport. The race itself, he’s come to believe, is almost beside the point. “It’s the training that is the true — I don’t know,” he paused. “It’s where you really find out about yourself, I think.”

Boston, at last

This year, the timing finally aligned. The band will be in Boston. The training is there. And an opportunity that once felt abstract is now real.

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He’s keeping his expectations low, including his finishing time.

His one lighthearted goal: to beat Oprah’s marathon time — a 4:29:15 mark he narrowly eclipsed in Arizona.

“My friend wrote to me, ‘You beat Oprah,’” he said. “And I just laughed and laughed and laughed.”

But beneath the humor is something quieter, something more intentional. Running, he said, has brought him back to himself after decades lost in the noise of the road. 

“Somewhere along the line, life just started to fly by,” he said. “I just wanted to hold on closer to it.”

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For DaRosa, the Boston Marathon isn’t really about the finish line. It’s about showing up — for his kids, for himself, and for the version of his life he’s still shaping.

“To just be present,” he said. “That’s it.”

Annie Jonas is a Community writer at Boston.com. She was previously a local editor at Patch and a freelancer at the Financial Times.

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While Logan Airport has so far avoided the delays plaguing other major hubs, Boston’s airport may see federal immigration agents step into a security role at the order of President Donald Trump.

As the partial government shutdown continues into its second month, more than 400 Transportation Security Administration workers have quit after working without pay since mid-February, the Department of Homeland Security said. Funding for DHS, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is at the center of the shutdown.

Starting Monday, Trump said he’s planning to order ICE agents to airports, where they would arrest “all Illegal Immigrants,” unless Democrats fund DHS.

Mike Gayzagian, the president of AFGE Local 2617,  the New England branch of the TSA officers’ union, said it’s currently unclear if ICE will be headed to Logan or any other airport in New England. 

“We have not heard anything official from TSA leadership that ICE would be coming to any airport in New England. However, we are making inquiries,” Gayzagian said in a statement. “The New England region has not experienced the same problems as other parts of the country and so we do not see such a move as something that’s necessary at this time. However, if the staffing situation deteriorates, the need for such a move may have to be reevaluated.”

At Logan Airport, the majority of TSA agents have stayed at work, Boston.com previously reported, and the airport has overall avoided long security lines.

Massport confirmed Sunday that Logan has “not seen any impacts to the checkpoints due to the ongoing shutdown” and said it had no information on ICE agents going to Logan.

When asked if ICE agents will be at Logan Airport, a spokesperson for DHS did not address Boston or New England directly, instead blaming the “Democrat shutdown” and addressing the long lines at airports nationwide.

Trump will “deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted,” according to Lauren Bis, DHS’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Homeland. 

“Because of the Democrat shutdown, President Trump is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hourslong lines at airports across the country — especially during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families,” Bis said. “This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions.”

AFGE National President Everett Kelley slammed the move in a statement, saying the agents “deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be.”

In New England, Gayzagian said as the union makes inquiries into the move to deploy ICE agents, public safety is important if staffing levels suffer.

“It’s important to keep the public safety situation under control,” Gayzagian said. “Any police presence at the airport acts as a deterrent to those who have bad intentions.”

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.

It was the second time in six months that Reichel had to pack his bags and join a new team. Was it a surprise?

“A little bit, I would say, because it was kind of like last-minute,” Reichel said. “But I knew Boston was always – even when I was in Chicago – always in the mix. It was good when I heard it.”

He tried to take it in stride. Providence runs a fairly parallel system to that of its NHL affiliate; Mougenel’s goal is for the transition to be as easy as possible, he said, when his guys get called upon. While it was a short stint with the P-Bruins, it seemed to be just what Reichel needed to get his bearings.

“I think Providence helped me a lot,” Reichel said. “It was just three games, but it was fun to play with them down there. They’re really good at helping me out, and I felt comfortable right away. They are a really good team.”

Reichel made his Boston debut in Thursday’s 6-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets at TD Garden, and had two points (one goal, one assist) while skating on the third line with Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie. He also slotted onto the second power-play unit.

Reichel displayed the speed head coach Marco Sturm has been so fond of during Saturday’s 4-2 victory in Detroit. He bolted past a group of Red Wings and charged the net, drawing a penalty shot in the latter minutes of the third period. While he did not convert, it was a prime example of the motor Reichel brings.

“I think as a player, I happened to be here, too, as soon as you go into a new team – I think it just helps overall your confidence when you score and have success on the first night. It helps you tomorrow, helps you the next day, helps you the next game,” Sturm said.

Lindholm and Geekie have a combined 21 years of NHL experience, and they’re offering it up as a resource for Reichel, who has injected his youthful energy onto the line.

“Just having fun,” Reichel said of his linemates’ advice. “And they try to talk to me a lot between periods or on the bench. Just play my game and have fun with it.”

Sturm had familiarity with Reichel – the Nuremberg, Germany, native – before he joined the Black & Gold. Reichel’s father, Martin, and Sturm were teammates on the German national team.  

​“I asked him about his dad today. He said he stepped away from youth hockey, and it’s a good thing. He’s focused on drinking wine, I guess. So good for him,” Sturm said with a smile. “He’s a good man, it’s a good family.”