Resident Kaitlyn Mullen is running to support the Hopkinton Education Foundation. PHOTO/ELLEN LARAMEE

As the mother of a tweenager, Kaitlyn Mullen knows how difficult it can be for a parent to impress their child. Running the Boston Marathon is one of those rare opportunities.

“I don’t do much that impresses her, but this impressed her,” Mullen said with a laugh. “I’m always trying to inspire and be a positive role model, and she’s excited about this.”

A Hopkinton resident since 2016, Mullen is running on behalf of the Hopkinton Education Foundation, which supports schools in town. The organization notes that it has provided $1.3 million to fund hundreds of grants over the past 26 years.

“The HEF has such critical programs they offer for our educators and students,” Mullen said. “I wanted to support an organization that means a lot to me and the town.”

This will be Mullen’s second marathon. She started running in 2016 when she signed up for the Hopkinton Running Club’s Couch to 5K program and ran the Sharon Timlin Memorial 5K in town.

In 2023, when she was working for Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, she and five other friends — all working moms — decided to run Boston together as a fundraiser for Beth Israel Leahy Health.

“I absolutely loved the hard work, grit and accomplished feeling that came with running the marathon,” Mullen recalled in a blurb on her fundraising page. “It was truly one of the best days of my life! I loved being able to raise money for a meaningful cause and tackle something I once would have thought was impossible. I loved setting an example for my daughter and showing her that 45 years old was not too old to run your first marathon!”

Although Mullen did not run the marathon last year, she continued to race, completing the Boston Athletic Association Distance Medley — completing the BAA 5K, 10K and half marathon over a span of eight months.

Another reason she skipped the marathon last year was that in addition to the training, the fundraising takes up a lot of time and energy. She returns this year, boosted by fundraisers held in conjunction with local businesses Swoon and Blue Square Pizza.

On race day, she’ll receive special support from her husband and sixth grader.

“My daughter is a good cheerleader,” Mullen said. “She and my husband will see me off and then they’re going to travel to couple of different locations to cheer me on.”

She also takes inspiration from the way the town supports the race.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the marathon fever living in Hopkinton,” she said, noting that her home is close to the marathon start line. “We’re surrounded by it. That inspired me to take on the challenge again.”