CVH Spotlight: Katie Somers, Physical Therapist, Crosses Finish Line at 128th Boston Marathon Inspiring Others to Try Challenging Feats

After a winter of training in Carson Valley and the Sierra Nevada snow, Rehabilitation Physical Therapist Katie Somers raced across the finish line at the 2024 Boston Marathon. The Boston Marathon is 26 miles and 385 yards and makes its way through eight (8) towns. Of the nearly 30,000 runners entered in the 2024 race, there were citizens of 118 countries, and all 50 United States.

The Boston Marathon is the most famous marathon in the world, and Katie qualified to participate as one of the estimated 29,451 runners. Her 25 weeks (about 5 and a half months) of training included running six (6) days a week with speed and hill repeats, distance runs, strength training, cycling, and cross training. Katie was running about 38-56 miles a week. She laughs and says she is now “glad to be done with 5:30 am workouts…that was exhausting! It was a lot to run in the mornings before starting my workday at the hospital.”

Katie ran in the 18–34-year age group and finished with a time of 3:11, 13 minutes faster than her time in the previous qualifying marathon. Katie achieved her goal of running the marathon without injury and ended near 4,800th place. “I felt really good, considering I started near the middle of the pack. I think training at high altitude helped a lot, and I never felt like my breathing got tired. I felt like I ran the race well,” said Katie.

Reflecting on her experience, Katie said, “I keep looking back, not believing that I ran the Boston Marathon. With over 500,000 spectators the energy during the race is very motivating. I think it helped a lot with getting a faster time in the race, I never imagined I'd be able to run a marathon that fast. I was more focused on the energy of the crowd cheering us on the whole way.” When asked if Katie was planning on running in the future, her response was an excited yes! She was only a minute away from qualifying for the Berlin Marathon, which is the hardest marathon for recreational runners to qualify for. Katie plans to run the Boston Marathon in 2025 to qualify for Berlin.

Three years ago, Katie began working at Carson Valley Health Rehabilitation Center after completing her last clinical rotation in acute rehab in Reno. As a Rehabilitation Physical Therapist, she typically works with patients who have balance and neurological issues. Katie told her patients and coworkers she was running the Boston Marathon, and everyone was excited for her. “It was such a special experience being supported by everyone, especially all the people in the Rehab Center. They even put the Boston Marathon on the TVs in the facility to cheer me on,” said Katie.

Katie has come a long way since running her first marathon at 18 years old, when after five hours and a chronic injury she concluded that her body “wasn’t made for distance running” and ultimately gave up on marathons for a decade. After crossing the line at the Boston Marathon, Katie proves to be a stellar example of perseverance and dedication. “I hope this article inspires readers to try something that appropriately challenges their bodies because they may surprise themselves with what they can do.”