Shown in good form at the Baystate Marathon last fall, Adam Castoreno is running in his third consecutive Boston Marathon on April 15 to support the Hopkinton Historical Society.
Adam Castoreno could be called the Marathon Man. The 128th Boston Marathon on April 15 will be the third year in a row he will be running to raise funds in support of the Hopkinton Historical Society.
“It has been great, a lot of fun,” said Castoreno.
The race also will be the third marathon he has run in the last six months. Castoreno rans the Baystate Marathon in Lowell last fall and the Houston Marathon in January.
A San Antonio native, he moved with his wife to Massachusetts about 25 years ago for school and has lived in the Medford and MetroWest areas ever since, relocating to Hopkinton three years ago.
As a new resident of Hopkinton, he was hoping to participate in the Boston Marathon. The eldest of his three daughters came to the rescue. She was browsing through social media and suggested he connect with John Palmer and the Hopkinton Historical Society (hopkhistsoc.org) in 2022.
“They were looking for a runner, and I was glad to volunteer,” said Castoreno.
It was a good fit, as he is a supporter of the society’s mission to help preserve the history of Hopkinton, protect artifacts and reach out to the public about the community’s rich past. The society was pleased with his effort and asked Castoreno to return in 2023 and again this year (his fundraising page can be found at GiveButter.com/EnWCgi).
Running his first marathon, Houston in 2008, Castoreno found a sport he really enjoyed.
“I try to run two marathons a year, one in the fall and one in the spring,” he said. “That pattern has been pretty consistent the last five years.”
A research scientist focusing on cell biology for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, he works his runs in around his busy career and family schedule.
“I try to train four to five times a week,” he said, getting up early to log his weekday miles and saving longer runs for the weekends. “I usually run about 40 miles a week. For a while I was just running but more recently have added some cross-training like cycling to my routine. I used to run about 50 miles a week but don’t do that as much as I used to.”
He likes running along the hilly roads of Hopkinton and frequently does part of the Boston Marathon route.
“I really enjoy running from the different towns like Framingham and Natick and becoming more familiar with the course,” he said. That knowledge of the course helped him shave about eight minutes off his 2022 time when he ran last year, finishing comfortably under the four-hour mark. He hopes to do even better this year.
“I am not particularly fast, but I try to improve each year,” Castoreno said, noting a lot of factors play into how well he does in any race.
He is not the only runner in his family, as his wife likes to do shorter races.
“It is fun for us to travel together for half-marathons. It is something we both enjoy,” said Castoreno.
The Boston Marathon, with its Hopkinton start, is a celebration for his family.
“My parents fly in from Texas to watch me run, and pre-race, we drive along the route that I’ll be running,” Castoreno said. “My family members watch from different points along the race, offering me something to drink or a gel just when I need it. It is good to see a smiling, familiar face, especially if I’m getting a bit tired. I always try to rally before I see them so I look good running by. It really helps.”
He also gets a lot of support from his family as he follows his regular training schedule, and he’s inspired by helping a local organization.
“I am very pleased to be one of the local runners participating in the marathon and support nonprofits in our community,” Castoreno said. “It is great to be part of that group and to help organizations like the Historical Society.”
We immensely love & enjoy coming to watch our son Adam Castoreno’s participation in the Boston Marathon for three years now! He & his wife have always been very athletically inclined & Adam most likely will continue marathon running as long as possible, while same time, supportive of his Hopkinton Community Historical Society!