Canton runners at the Boston Marathon

This coming Monday, April 20, marks the 130th running of the iconic Boston Marathon, and once again there is plenty of local rooting interest with a total of 20 Canton runners appearing on the official B.A.A. entry list.

Canton’s Caitlyn Dicillo is gearing up for her 7th Boston Marathon.

Among neighboring towns, only Milton and Dedham have greater representation, and only Milton has a wider gap between the youngest and oldest participants.

For this year’s Canton contingent, that gap is 50 years, ranging from 19-year-old Ava Larkin, a college sophomore who is running for Rob Gronkowski’s Gronk Nation Youth Foundation, to 69-year-old Danny Berman, who is running his second straight Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) team.

While he originally intended his 2025 marathon finish to be a one-time accomplishment, Berman said he couldn’t turn down another invite from Dana-Farber, having lost several loved ones to cancer. He has since raised an impressive $35,000 and has dedicated this year’s run in memory of his son Andrew, who lost his own valiant battle with colorectal cancer in November.

“I hope somehow the funds I raise will help prevent parents in the future having to go through what we are going through now,” noted Berman.

Also joining the 2026 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team are fellow Canton residents Allison Meade and Joanne Whall, who have raised another $27,000 combined to benefit DFCI’s Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research.

Both women have had close family and friends impacted by the disease, and for Whall, that includes her young son, who she’s proud to report has “crushed cancer.”

Recalling all of the “needle pokes, hospital stays, drives to [the treatment] clinic, toxic medicine and screaming at nurses,” Whall said she’s running to “show him that we can make a difference.” She’s also running for everyone else who has fought or is currently battling cancer. “It’s a very hard journey, but I have your back!” she said.

Also making the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston this year for a cause that’s dear to her heart is Canton’s Caitlyn Dicillo, a six-time Boston Marathon finisher. For her seventh and final marathon, Dicillo once again chose to fundraise for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, collecting more than $8,000 to benefit children and families impacted by violence, exploitation and abuse.

Meanwhile, with one Boston Marathon already under her belt, Canton’s Kelsie Aufiero has decided to “lace ’em back up” after a four-year hiatus and has joined up with Team BGCD to raise more than $11,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester.

Also knocking it out of the park in the fundraising department this year while training for their first Boston Marathon are Canton residents Colman Conroy and Abigail Stubelis, who have both raised more than $12,500 for their respective charities. Colman is running on behalf of the Boston Athletic Association through its “B.A.A. Gives Back” team, while Stubelis is running for Boston Children’s Hospital’s Miles for Miracles team.

On her fundraising page, Stubelis noted that she was moved to join the Miles for Miracles crew after spending time as a patient at Children’s Hospital, where she underwent brain surgery to treat an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). “I owe the world to my nurses, surgeons, and radiologists who showed me a kindness and brilliance I can never repay,” she said. “This run is an opportunity for me to give back to the team that gave me everything and inspire other AVM patients along the way.”

Peter Milne finished ahead of more than 27,600 runners at last year’s Boston Marathon. (Northeastern U. photo)

In addition to those who are running with a charity team, a handful of Canton participants are tackling the famed course for competitive reasons, including 23-year-old road racing veteran Peter Milne. A 2020 CHS graduate and former Bulldog cross country standout, Milne participated in his first Boston Marathon last year with four teammates from the Northeastern University Club Running team and is back this year with a spot in the first wave after finishing 798th out of more than 28,000 runners in 2025 with a time of 2:39:53.

Also in the elite amateur category for this year’s race is 2018 CHS grad Andrea McNeil, who enters her first-ever Boston Marathon as Canton’s top female qualifier. At last year’s Hyannis Marathon, McNeil finished first among women and 17th overall with a time of 3:01:26. She went on to be crowned the female champion at the Black Bear Trail Races 23K in Waterville Valley in August, and in her most recent tune-up in March, the former Bulldog standout placed fourth among females and 22nd overall at the Eastern States 20 Miler in New Hampshire.

McNeil will be joined this year by her older brother Sean, a seven-time Boston Marathon veteran and a highly accomplished runner in his own right. While he no longer lives in Canton, Sean grew up in the town and was a standout athlete at CHS and later Stonehill College, and in all seven of his prior marathons he has finished in the top 1-2 percent of runners with an average time of 2:36.

Last year, McNeil was bested by another former Bulldog, Liam Collins, who crossed the finish line just two minutes faster (2:34:00) to place 372nd overall. Although he now lives out of state, Collins is returning to the area to compete in his second Boston Marathon and has earned himself a coveted placement in wave 1/corral 1.

Also on this year’s entry list are Canton residents Mark and Bridget Gaffney, who are each running their fifth Boston Marathon; Christian Baglini, a three-time participant; and first timers Joseph Dipillo, Marissa Larosa, Taylor Menino, Hayley Murphy, Zach Sigman and Brianna Wesner.

To view the full entry list for the 2026 Boston Marathon, visit baa.org/races/boston-marathon/info-for-athletes.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Apr 17 2026. Filed under Featured Content. Both comments and pings are currently closed.