Staff photo / Dan Hiner. Youngstown area marathon runners, from left, Chad Strong, Emily Huston Pounds, Jenn Trimble, Melanie Rowley, Tanner Hoffer and Tom Grantonic gathered together at Second Sole in Boardman before a Wednesday run group.

BOARDMAN — A couple years ago, East Palestine native Tanner Hoffer didn’t think she’d be spending part of her April in Boston. But after picking up marathon running, she registered four races under her belt, and in doing so, qualified for the 2026 Boston Marathon.

Hoffer is one of several Mahoning Valley runners that qualified for this year’s Boston Marathon, which is set to take place with 30,000 runners on April 20.

“It’s the biggest marathon I’ve participated in. It’s my fifth marathon, one of the first world majors I’ve been able to participate in, so I’m really excited to have a star, and I’m really just looking forward to embracing the crowds and the entire moment,” Hoffer said. “I’m just grateful that I had the opportunity to even qualify.”

Hoffer has an athletic background, but not one that would lead to marathon running. She played college basketball at Point Park University, but one race caught her eye after her playing career concluded.

“When I graduated college in 2023, I realized I could not work out for fun,” Hoffer said. “I needed something to set a goal on when I worked out or exercised. So it was right around the time the New York Marathon had happened, and I saw these videos of everyone crossing the finish line and all the excitement. And it really inspired me to say, ‘I can do that. I’m in that spot right now and I have the time to train.'”

Hoffer joined fellow Boston Marathon qualifiers Chad Strong, Emily Huston Pounds, Jenn Trimble, Melanie Rowley, Tanner Hoffer and Tom Grantonic at Second Sole in Boardman for the group’s weekly run on Wednesday.

Strong ran the Boston Marathon last year, accomplishing his goal of running it once in his life. But the feeling afterward led to a desire to run in the 130th edition of the race this spring. That was after running a personal best 2:58.11 and dealing with cramping a couple times.

“The day after Boston last year, I decided it was so exciting with the crowd and the energy that I was thinking that I had to do this again,” Strong said.

With one Boston trip under his belt, Strong has a little knowledge heading into this year’s run.

“I just want to do better than I did last year, but definitely watching your pace in the first part of the race, because you’ll hit Mile 20 when you hit some hills, and you’ll pay for it if you don’t pay attention,” Strong said.

The environment also caught the eye of Huston Pounds. She went into her first Boston Marathon last year with the idea that it was going to be a “fun run.” But as she competed, she saw the support that the Boston Marathon provides.

Unlike team sports such as football, basketball or baseball, running has a different energy surrounding it. Of course the competitors want to win, but the community aspect is more noticeable in marathon running, or even track and cross country at the high school level.

Huston Pounds said that the Boston Marathon was filled with people who would give her, “a high-five, a smile to cheer you on.”

“It’s like your Olympian moment,” Huston Pounds said. “Everybody’s just so excited to have you there, and when you walk around with your medal, people are going to say, ‘Good job’ and high-five you. You’re only in competition with yourself, so it’s great to cheer on the people that are around you if they’re having a rough time and enjoy the spirit and community of everybody around you.”

In addition to the six at Second Sole, Joseph Sliman and Michael Chick also qualified from Mahoning County. And Monnie McBride from Windham and Columbiana’s Matt Ridel were also on the entry list.

“On any given weekend, there’s 15, 20, 25 of us that are running together,” Strong said. “It’s certainly nice to know people that are going, and we’re all in it together. We’re a big family here, though.

“It’s also the people that you run with day-in and day-out and on the weekends to do your training. They keep you motivated. It’s a big family, so it’s very special.”