Nine months after heart surgery, Brenda Maher runs her third Boston Marathon

Nearly every runner dreams of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. For 57-year-old Brenda Maher that dream came later in life. She began running five years ago. Two years later, Maher qualified for the legendary race on her first attempt. After successfully finishing the Boston Marathon in 2011 and 2012, she returned for a third time – just nine months after suffering a heart attack.

“One doctor told me to quit running,” says Maher, who runs a daycare in Vineland, Ont., on the Niagara Peninsula. “I love running. When someone tells you to stop doing something you love – you can’t change.” That determination to return to the sport she loves also drove Maher from beginner to top of her age group in short order. A natural runner, Maher progressed quickly. Her first coach predicted she would be a successful distance runner and qualify for the Boston Marathon. So Maher trained and ran her first marathon – the 2009 Road2Hope in Hamilton – finishing in 4:12. From that point on, Maher became serious about running, reading books, adding cross-training to her regimen and shedding 20 pounds along the way.

At her first Boston Marathon in 2011, Maher finished in 4:00. Then during the record-breaking heat of the 2012 event, she crossed the f inish in 4:45. A month later, Maher ran the Toronto Goodlife Marathon in 3:43, f inishing in the top three in her age group and qualifying for the New York City Marathon.

But a few months later, Maher suffered a heart attack in the middle of the night on July 13. “I had what felt like severe heartburn in the form of a cross on my back,” says Maher. “A friend told me to go to the hospital. Do not assume, just because you are a woman or a runner, you can’t have a heart attack.”

Maher underwent coronary angioplasty to open an artery blocked 90 per cent. “The doctor told me it was genetic,” she says. “He told me running saved my life because my heart was strong and I kept in shape.” A week later, Maher left the hospital. Two months later, Maher started walking and running. Before long, she was back training under the watchful eye of Benny Ralston, head coach at her current club, Runners’ Edge i n St . Catharines, Ont.

In November, Maher ran the Hamilton Road2Hope half-marathon as a pace bunny for her friend Ann Bird, who wanted to qualify for the New York City Marathon. Although Maher is following her doctor’s recommendations and listening to her body, ultimately her goal is to make a full recovery – and beat her previous times.

“My heart specialist said I would never run the pace I used to,” Maher says. “I told him I would prove him wrong.” On the morning of her third Boston Marathon last April, Maher was feeling strong. She ran a negative split, finishing in 3:54 – six minutes better than her previous best and just 12 minutes before the first bomb went off. Already past the finish line and on her way to the family meeting area, it wasn’t until Maher reached her hotel two hours later that she fully realized what had happened.

Maher and her friends were safe, although the tragedy touched her deeply. But she is determined to return. “I’m planning to go back next year because Ann didn’t get to finish,” she says. “I want to go back and be there when she crosses the finish line. I need to go back and finish what we started – with Ann.” My doctor told me running saved my life because my heart was strong and I kept in shape.”