Jen Tedstone jumps for joy after finishing a long training run.

Jen Tedstone is proud to be running the 2024 Boston Marathon in honor of Brad Canty to raise money for the Canty’s Underdog Scholarship Fund.

“My family grew up in this town, my husband grew up in this town; we’ve been here forever,” said Tedstone. “My mom was a Hopkinton High School graduate, as well as my grandmother — so we’ve had a lot of ties to Hopkinton.”

As such, the Boston Marathon has a prominent place in her childhood memories.

“It was nice to go up to the start line and see the people running off,” she recalled. “As a kid, I always admired them, but I wasn’t much of a long-distance runner, although I ran track in high school.”

It wasn’t until after she’d had children that she began doing longer and longer distances. She ran her first Boston Marathon in 2013 — the year of the finish line bombing.

“It was really scary,” she shared. “I didn’t stop running, but it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth about the whole race experience. Plus, I had kids who were growing up and other demands on my time.”

When her children were older and more self-sufficient, Tedstone found more time for running. She connected with a local club, Hopkinton Moms Run This Town, via Facebook.

“I’m not much of a group joiner, but I just decided to do it … and it was a hit,” Tedstone said happily. “I really enjoy running with all these ladies. We can relate.”

When some of the club members began training for the 2024 Boston Marathon, Tedstone found herself wanting to give it another go. Buoyed by her husband’s support and fellow runners’ encouragement, and inspired by the opportunity to give something back to an organization in her community, she decided, “It’s time, and I’m going to do it.”

She appreciates her running buddies even more now, and said it’s nice to share the mindset of working toward a goal and the understanding of what training requires. “We speak the same language,” Tedstone said.

She’s now doing 18-mile runs and is excited to keep going. She also hopes to reframe the marathon experience for herself in Boston this year.

Focusing on her fundraising mission helps. She chose Canty’s Underdog Scholarship Fund (gofundme.com/f/running-for-the-underdog) because of their mutual community ties.

“I wanted to support a local organization, and knew the family from growing up, so I was familiar with their story.”

Canty’s Underdog Scholarship Fund was established in honor of the late Brad Canty, Hopkinton High School class of 2018. Canty suffered gastrointestinal and immune issues that caused him to miss school and endure various hardships. Nonetheless, those who knew him recall a thoughtful, kind young man who would go out of his way to make someone else’s day better, in spite of his own struggles.

The purpose of the Canty scholarship is to recognize deserving students in town who display that same strength of character. The fund awards 10 scholarships in the amount of $1,000 to qualified seniors headed to a post-secondary program.