Academy pg 1 8-2-12
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caption, page 9:
Winner
MacQueen wins Boston race. Courtesy photo.
Academy
grad wins
Boston race
By Ron P. Coderre
Boston is known internationally for its famous Boston Marathon. On any given day in Boston runners can be spotted working out along the Charles River and in other historic areas of the city. Running is big in Boston. But one of its best kept running secrets is the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge, which has been in existence for 18 years and attracts more than 12,000 runners annually.
The female portion of this year’s race, on July 12 on the Boston Common in the Back Bay area of the city, was captured by 2003 Woodstock Academy graduate Kyle MacQueen. MacQueen who works for Wellington Management in Boston topped all other female entries completing the 3.5 mile race in a smoking time of 19:38. She was one of 125 Wellington employees representing the company in the race.
While at the Academy, MacQueen was a member of the school’s 800-meter relay team that competed in the Nationals. After graduating from Woodstock she moved on to Simmons College in the Fenway section of Boston, where she met Will Feldman, who revived her interest in running. Interestingly, Feldman, who is now a cross-country and track coach at MIT and was formerly a coach at Emmanuel College, and MacQueen are currently planning their marriage in August.
The relationship led to MacQueen getting serious about her training and joining the Greater Boston Running Club. She eventually ran her first marathon in Philadelphia, where she qualified for the Boston Marathon, which she’s since run twice. Her greatest marathon achievement was the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October 2011, where she was the 33rd overall female finisher. She’s now listed as the second fastest marathoner to train with the Greater Boston Track Club.
MacQueen, running for her company, which was one of 630 companies with participants in the event, edged her closest competitor Joanne Murphy of Puma In the J. P. Morgan Corporate Challenge. MacQueen and Murphy competed neck-and-neck before the Woodstock runner kicked it into overdrive in the final 100 meters to win by a scant two seconds.
A crowd favorite, MacQueen is describes as breaking into a radiant smile as she crossed the finish line.
As MacQueen, who is in her mid-20s, continues to improve her running performances, she is posting serious times that could lead to future notoriety. Her Chicago effort was about three minutes off of being able to qualify for the Olympic trials. Taking care of the August nuptial is the next thing on MacQueen’s calendar. Where her running career goes from there appears to be unlimited.