McKenzie Native Allie Chappell To Run 2026 Boston Marathon

On April 20, 2026, Allie Chappell will join 24,361 runners at the starting line of the 130th Boston Marathon.

Chappell, the daughter of Brad and Christie Chappell of McKenzie, will run with Team Brookline in support of the Brookline Education Foundation. She now lives in Massachusetts, working full time as a special education paraprofessional in a K–8 school in Brookline while pursuing her Master’s in Special Education through the University of Alabama.

Chappell’s relationship with running began early. Her earliest memory is from third grade, running a mile around a practice football field for PE class. Competing against fourth grade girls, she finished in 7:50 — just a second behind the winner. In middle school, she participated in soccer and cheer. In high school, she continued with soccer and joined the track team when Coach Jeremy Bilger noticed how much she enjoyed conditioning.

Her high school track career included qualifying for Substate and State competitions in the 800-meter run, with a personal best of 2:39 her senior year, placing eleventh in her division. After graduating from McKenzie High School in 2021, Chappell attended Bethel University where she played soccer for two seasons. She returned to track, joining Bethel’s team in spring 2022, and she later joined the cross country team in fall 2023. She graduated from Bethel University in May 2025.

“I cannot necessarily pinpoint a time where I realized I loved running, but I can definitely tell you what I love about it,” she said. “A lot of the core principles of running translate into day-to-day life. Most people would agree that running is hard. It is not always fun, it is certainly not always easy, and I do not always want to do it.”

She described running as a way to process challenges.

“Sure, running is not something that can fix my problems, but it helps me lean into the discomfort of them — to then learn to move through and release them,” she said. “It helps teach me to welcome tough times — all while embracing, tolerating and moving with those feelings. This sport is a constant display of human resilience.”

That perspective became especially important after she moved to Massachusetts. She first connected with the Boston area while nannying for a family in Needham during the summers. After two years of spending extended time in Massachusetts — including regular visits to Brookline — she decided to make the move permanent in September 2025.

“I had a hard time when I first moved to Boston. All of it was just so new to me, and it was challenging,” she said.

She thought back to when she ran the Nashville Marathon in 2025. It was her first full marathon, having run the half-distance version the year before. She averaged around an 8:20 pace for the first half before encountering stomach issues in the second half. She finished the run in five hours and ten minutes.

“That experience taught me that I can get through tough times with perseverance and grit — including moving to a new city 1,000 miles away where you barely know anybody,” she said.

Now, her goal for Boston is to run under four hours. Reaching this goal requires both structure and consistency.

Chappell runs five days a week and has gradually increased her mileage by about 10 percent each week since early January. Before marathon training, she averaged 20 to 25 miles per week. She now runs 45 to 50.

“I do speedwork on Mondays and Wednesdays and recovery runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Saturdays are long run days. On Sundays and Fridays, I take a rest from running,” she said. “Starting in March, I will use only Sunday as a rest day as I make my way toward my peak mileage week. I have to consider all things — nutrition, recovery, and stress — alongside all of the calculated mileage.”

Chappell trains with 35 runners on Team Brookline, part of the Marathon Coalition led by Coach Rick Muhr, who compares marathon training to preparing a car for a cross-country road trip.

“Running has also taught me so much about vulnerability,” she said. “Am I running with a team for the marathon? Yes. But I am the one who has to show up to the start line and complete the 26.2 miles. Running is not like soccer where it is a team effort to win the contest — it falls on you only. You are exposed on the race course.”

Learning to accept that responsibility has changed Chappell’s approach.

“I have always, always, always been a perfectionist, but with running, I have learned that I do not always have to show out — I just have to show up and stay consistent to reach my goals,” she said.

The Boston Marathon once seemed far out of reach. Shortly after relocating to Massachusetts, she filmed herself running past the finish line on Boylston Street.

“In the video, I said, ‘One day I’ll cross this thing for real, but today is not that day,’” she said.

A month later, a friend encouraged her to apply for Team Brookline. A week after applying, she found out she had been accepted. She would be running in the 2026 Boston Marathon. She called her parents, surprising them with the news — she hadn’t even told them she had applied.

“They were pumped, and as always, ready to support me in any way they could,” she said.

Chappell runs on behalf of the Brookline Education Foundation, a nonprofit that raises private funds to support innovative teaching, leadership, professional development and community participation in the Public Schools of Brookline.

“Education allows you to leave the world better than you found it — it is something that nobody can take from you,” Chappell said. “It is something I am passionate about, so being able to run the iconic Boston Marathon, while supporting a cause close to my heart, makes me feel so beyond lucky.”

As race day approaches, Chappell said her focus extends beyond time goals.

“My ultimate goal is to reach the finish line as the strongest, most present version of myself… While it will be my name on the bib, I am carrying the pride of my parents, my family, my friends, my coaches and teachers over the years, my colleagues and the entire McKenzie and Brookline communities,” Chappell said.

From balancing graduate school and full-time work to logging miles through an extreme Boston winter, Chappell said the process has strengthened her physically and mentally.

“I have not only been training my legs and body, but I have been building the mental strength I will need when the race gets challenging,” she said. “I am heading into race day with a calm heart and clear goal — to honor everyone who has believed in me by giving it all I have got. I am going to keep moving forward.”

Chappell has raised $6,625 of her fundraising goal of $8,500 and has until April 27, 2026, to reach her goal. One hundred percent of donations go to the Brookline Education Foundation. To donate, visit teambrookline.org and find Allie Chappell’s profile on the “2026 Runners” page.