At 15 years old, Newton resident Shelley Xue ran her first Boston Marathon. Now, 10 years later, she will run it again, but this time she will be crossing the finish line with her mom, Cindy Xue. 

Both Shelley and Cindy Xue began their running journeys training on Commonwealth Avenue a decade ago, so running the 2026 Boston Marathon connects them back to where their love for running started.

“Running on Comm. Ave. brings me back to my first marathon,” Shelley said. “Part of it is just like the nostalgia and being able to trace how far I’ve grown and how far we’ve grown together in that way.”

Running the marathon together this year feels like a way for them to mark the evolution of their running journeys, the two said. 

“She finished her first marathon at 15 years old in high school, and now, almost 10 years later, we run the Boston,” Cindy said. “This is kind of a full circle moment for us to run.”

Empowering Through Running

Cindy said that watching Shelley run her first Boston marathon showed her the empowerment that community running can bring to young kids.

“Watching her do that as a teenager was one of the proudest moments of my life,” Cindy said. “It showed me what Newton kids can do when they have structure, mentors, and a community behind them.”

Both Shelley’s and Cindy’s marathon journeys started with that sense of community. Shelley was introduced to marathoning when she was a student at Newton South High School through Dreamfar, a marathon club for high schoolers around the greater Boston area. 

Shelley said that her time training with Dreamfar allowed her to view running from a new perspective, learning to run for the experience and not just the result.

“You got to just run with people across the greater Boston area, and everyone was just super encouraging, and nobody really was trying to finish fast or anything,” Shelley said. “So it was a really supportive community.”

From Sidelines to Mentoring

After watching the impact that Dreamfar had on Shelley, Cindy became involved as a mentor for the run club. Cindy mentors hundreds of students and has helped them reach their own finish lines for nearly 10 years.

“Now, I kind of mentor all the high school students in the program, sometimes up to 200 people, and I’ve learned a lot of lessons [from mentoring the students],” Cindy said. “The lessons I’ve learned allowed me to improve myself.”

Before mentoring at Dreamfar, Cindy said that she wasn’t even sure she would be able to run marathons, but now she will be running her eighth. 

“I didn’t even know I could run a marathon at the beginning,” Cindy said. “It was so powerful, and now I’ve run seven to eight marathons since then.”

Shelley said she also felt intimidated by marathons before joining Dreamfar, crediting the community as what allowed her to realize her potential. 

“I just didn’t really know what it would take,” Shelley said. “Then, like, it’s really the community aspect and doing it together with other people, and just supporting each other and realizing your goals.”

Finding Their Stride Together

The Boston Marathon will be Cindy and Shelley’s second marathon together—their first was the 2024 Los Angeles (LA) Marathon. 

During the LA Marathon, Cindy and Shelley learned how to combine their running styles, working not to obsess over running every minute together, but instead finishing each mile together until the end.

“We basically run through every mile together, and like, the finish line together, but I think we’re pretty much consistent in terms of pace,” Shelley said.

Shelley said that for both her and her mom, the end goal is to cross the finish line together. 

“I think just like being able to cross the finish line together, I think matters sort of more to us than like running the same, or the whole thing next to each other,” Shelley said. “But yeah, it’s a pretty fun experience trying to coordinate.”

Shelley and Cindy Xue at the run Disney Springtime Challenge in April 2023 in Orlando, FL (Courtesy of Cindy Xue).

Giving Back to Newton

To run the Boston Marathon, Cindy and Shelley chose to support two different Newton-based nonprofits. Shelley is raising money to support Green Newton, and Cindy is raising money to support the Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA).

Judy Jacobs, the executive director of Green Newton, said that Shelley’s fundraising efforts for the organization will make a significant difference in their ability to foster sustainability in Newton. 

“All of the support that people give to the organization directly impacts how effective we can be in the community and how many people we can reach,” Jacobs said. “And that means how many people are reducing their environmental impact and protecting Newton’s environment.”

Shelley reiterated that running for a Newton-based nonprofit was important to her so that she could give back to the community she grew up in. 

“It felt like a good way for me to really give back to the place that’s shaped me,” Shelley said. “It’s really nice to be able to, like, support the city that taught me how to run and keep it healthy and livable for the people growing up there.”

Cindy said that fundraising for MEDA was important for her because of the ways their work connects to the lessons she shares with her running mentees. 

“They are building the communities, and they’re helping people, that’s aligned with my mission when I mentor the high school students running a marathon,” Cindy said. “We also teach students about some life lessons … so that is why I run for MEDA, that’s the same mission.”

For Cindy and Shelley, running the 2026 Boston Marathon together is a way for them to connect back to Comm. Ave. and the place where their love for running started. 

“It’s really helped define our relationship,” Shelley said. “It definitely is such an anchor in our relationship.”