Lancaster native Margot Sonia has known for a long time that she would run the Boston Marathon one day.

That day has finally come, with the 22-year-old lacing up her sneakers to tackle the world-famous race on April 20. Not only is Margot following in her mom Sue Sonia’s running footsteps, she will also be pounding the pavement for a good cause.

“For me, it’s not even really the desire to run a marathon per say, it’s the desire to run Boston. I watched my mom run Boston in 2013 and 2014, seeing back-to-back a year of tragedy and a year of resilience,” said Margot, referencing the bombing at the finish line of the 2013 marathon. “She would have kept doing them too if not for getting injured, so I’m running for her — and all the strength shown and passed on to me.”

Sue ran the Boston Marathon for Credit Union Kids at Heart, which was inspired by her own mother’s work with them. Margot’s grandmother was with them at the finish line in 2013 and passed away in 2022.

“My mom continues to remind me of the kindness and strength she carried herself with every single day,” Margot said of her mom emulating her grandmother.  “I will be running with her in my heart.”

Margot grew up in Lancaster and graduated from Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton along with her older sister Isabelle Sonia. Now a student at Boston College with graduation just around the corner in May, Margot has been involved with the Boston Marathon for years in different capacities — rucking the corresponding 26.2-mile Tough Ruck twice and being an EMT with the medical team on the route twice, along with cheering on her mom.

“Every single interaction I’ve had with the marathon, aside from the tragic events of 2013, has been uplifting, motivating, and inspiring,” the young woman said. “The runners, the volunteers, and the crows are all incredible. This community truly shows up for everyone else when it counts.”

Margot is running the Boston Marathon next month as part of the Mass General Marathon Team, with funds going towards the city hospital’s emergency department, pediatric oncology unit, and the hospital department of psychiatry’s Home Base Program (https://www.massgeneral.org/psychiatry/treatments-and-services/home-base-program), a collaboration with the Red Sox Foundation dedicated to healing the invisible wounds of war including PTSD for veterans of all eras, service members, military families and families of the fallen.

She initially became involved with Home Base and the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund (MMHF) at Home Base through a state nonprofit she works with called Project 351.

“I have participated in their annual 9/11 National Day of Service for seven years, where we package care packages for active military and veterans,” Margot said. “Home Base is actively combating the ever-rising veteran suicide rate with its front-of-the-line PTSD research and care. As a future Army healthcare provider, I admire their work and am grateful it exists as a resource. When I found out they were a part of the Mass General Marathon Team, I looked further to find out the corresponding causes were the emergency department and pediatric oncology unit.

“All three of these causes are not only crucial to the state, but frontrunners in the country in groundbreaking research,” she said. “Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is currently building a proton therapy unit for cancer treatment, which will be among very few in the country. I have interacted with MGH’s teams in several units through my jobs in EMS. They are caring, intelligent, and some of the hardest-working people you could meet. Their fund for the emergency department started after their response to the Boston Marathon Bombing, recognizing the need for further disaster preparedness. They are truly at the heart of the Boston community.”

To date she has raised just over $8,500 towards her $10,000 goal, and generous donations are still coming in through her fundraising link —  givengain.com/project/margot-raising-funds-for-massachusetts-general-hospital-109971 — with about three and a half weeks until Marathon Monday. When asked what she appreciates about people supporting her efforts, whether through donations or with family and friends in her corner, Margot said she has “endless gratitude for the support.”

“My family is incredible,” she said. “My mom calls me every day with new fundraising ideas. My dad and my sister are my biggest cheerleaders and share in all of my joys. My extended family have absolute been the biggest donors and has supported me in all my crazy endeavors. And the thank yous go on and on. From my elementary school teachers to people from the community I don’t know personally, people have constantly reached out and donated.”

Running is in her blood. Although this will be her first marathon, Margot has done the two Tough Rucks — 26.2 miles while carrying a 35 lb. backpack — along with three half marathons and “lots of 5Ks.”

“Both my parents were runners when I was a kid and emphasized the importance of physical wellbeing and fitness,” she said. “I loved doing races with them once my sister and I became old enough, I loved Spartans and Tough Mudders. I think I really liked proving to myself what I was capable of.”

She ran cross country in middle and high school and made some of her closest friends through that experience.

“While running is considered an individual sport, the mental tenacity it requires truly helps you build strong relationships with those you do it with,” Margot said. “While I’m not currently on a team, I like to run to clear my head and enjoy frequent runs with my ROTC peers or school friends.”

Training for the Boston Marathon over the especially cold and snowy winter was “absolutely” challenging, but fortunately for her, three of Margot’s closest friends and several other people she knows are also marathon training so she’s “had awesome running partners.”

On one especially snowy day she ran 14 miles with her roommate on an indoor track that’s only 0.2. miles long.

“It’s hard but especially being in ROTC I am surrounded of an attitude of ‘suck it up and do it,’” Margot said. “At the end of the day, you’ll be better for it.”

Her mom and boyfriend will be along the Boston Marathon route and at the finish line along with her father Mike Sonia, a state police lieutenant who will not be on duty for the marathon. A member of Boston College EMS, which staffs three medical tents, Margot said “the EMTS are ready to cheer” and several other members of her “community” will be there cheering her on.

“Most of my close friends will be at the infamous mile 21 to help me celebrate surmounting Heartbreak Hill,’ she said. “I can’t wait for all the hugs.”

What she is most looking forward to when it comes to tackling the Boston Marathon? “Every second, honestly,” Margot disclosed.

“From meeting runners, to seeing my friends and family, to hearing the roar of the crowds. I think the turn onto Boylston Street will be a bit emotional, but I’ll recognize those crowds and their spirit, and I cannot wait to see my people at the end.”