When Sandy Pollen joined the cross country team her junior year of high school, she didn’t realize it was a step that would shape her life path.

The Illinois native had started running just for fun, but she soon became more serious about the sport.

“It’s addictive; I love it!” Pollen declared.

When she was 19, she met a fellow athlete, Robert. The two competed together in their first marathon in Chicago — “Thirty years ago this year,” recalled Pollen — when her job as a flight attendant for American Airlines presented the opportunity.

Veteran runner Sandy Pollen will attempt to complete her first Boston Marathon this month.

“They sponsored our entry,” Pollen explained.

The pair made a good team and decided to go the distance. Soon, they married and welcomed daughters Katie (now 23) and Emily (21). Robert’s job led them to relocate to Upton, and in 2009, Pollen made a career pivot to become a licensed massage therapist — a field that complements her fitness experience.

That experience includes an impressive list of accomplishments: The 57-year-old has completed more than 20 marathons, including six Ironman triathlons. This year, she’ll run her first Boston Marathon — the pinnacle of her running journey.

“I’ve wanted to run Boston ever since that first race 30 years ago,” Pollen said.

She tried to qualify in 2016 but missed the qualification cutoff by a mere 51 seconds. She wasn’t sure she’d try again, but a friend who belongs to Hopkinton Women’s Club encouraged her to give it another go on behalf of the organization.

Per its website (hopkintonwomensclub.org), the mission of the Hopkinton Women’s Club is “to improve our community through volunteer service including philanthropic, educational, cultural and social events for members and the community.” The club supports other local charitable organizations, provides scholarships to Hopkinton high school students, and donates to the Michael Lisnow Respite Center, among others.

“They do a lot for the Hopkinton community,” said Pollen, who as of early April was still working to meet her $6,000 fundraising goal (givengain.com/project/sandy-raising-funds-for-hopkinton-womens-club-91021). “So I said, ‘You know what, I will take that bib!’ And I’m so grateful to be able to still run, and to do this race that I’ve wanted to do for so long.”