Albany, NH, Woman in her 70's Completed Her 36th Marathon

Linda Parish from Albany, New Hampshire, continues to amaze me year after year. This marathon running mama just completed her 36th Boston Marathon! If you talk to her about it she has the same energy as Elle Woods in the movie "Legally Blonde" when she gets into law school. "What? Like it's hard?"

What is Linda's story?

Linda was born in Rhode Island in 1953 and moved to North Conway in 1981. After remarrying in 2003 she moved to Albany, New Hampshire (which borders Conway). She currently lives there happily with her very supportive husband Bob.

How did Linda get into running?

She always ran sporadically since high school but after moving to North Conway she found that in order to have a social life in that active community, you needed to participate in a sport. Well, don't tell Linda twice! She started hanging out with the running crowd and the only gear she needed to invest in was a good pair of shoes.

For Linda long distance running is a meditative way to be able to sort through any problems, think through plans, and just have some personal “think time”. She doesn't feel safe running with headphones so all of her miles are distraction free and spent with her own thoughts.

Did Linda run in 2013, the year of the Marathon Bombing?

She sure did. She had finished about 45 minutes before the first bomb went off. She was with her family on the common getting ready to descend to their cars. They didn’t realize what it meant until after the second bomb went off and they saw all of the emergency responders. They were very fortunate to be out of harms way at the time.

What does it mean to be a member of the Boston Marathon Quarter Century Club?

Linda is a proud member and this means she has run 25 marathons consecutively without taking any years off. The current women’s streak record is 36 and guess what? She just completed her 36th marathon yesterday!

Ana Kane

According to Linda, the toughest weather years to run were the heat runs in 2004 and 2012 with temps reaching 86 and 89 degrees topped by the monsoon in 2018 which saw temps around 40, high winds and drenching downpours. Linda prefers wind and rain to scorching heat any day of the week.

Her personal highlight while running the marathon is getting to see her adult children and grandchildren where they wait for her at mile 23.

Ana Kane

She gets a much needed boost from that which enables her to get to the finish line and find her wonderful husband and head home until next year!

Way to go, Linda! Congratulations on another very successful Boston Marathon in the books :)

The Best Places to See a Moose in New Hampshire

Spotting a moose in New Hampshire is not as common as one might think but it does happen! Your chances significantly increase if you are willing to travel to Northern New Hampshire, also known as moose central. Sightings also occur in the White Mountains and more rural areas but definitely less often. Southern New Hampshire is where it happens the least, but again, it is not unheard of! Let this be your guide when it comes to moose hot spots in New Hampshire.

Gallery Credit: Kira Lew