It was a race to the finish line for Dana Koehn and Callie Albers as they completed the 126th Boston Marathon within 10 minutes of each other.

Koehn, who graduated from the Physician Assistant Studies program in 2021, finished with a time of 3:34.13. It was the Wisconsin native’s second Patriots’ Day race and ninth marathon overall.

Albers, who is in the second year of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the IHP, crossed the Back Bay finish line at 3:44.11. It was the first in-person marathon the Somerville resident and Wisconsin native has run; her first one in 2020 became a virtual race due to the pandemic.

"I had an absolute blast!” said Koehn, who ran to support the creation of a new student scholarship for PA students. “I got to enjoy seeing a ton of former classmates and friends along the course. The individual support provided such a spark at much-needed points. 

“This was also the first race a family member has been able to attend to watch me run,” continued Koehn, who has been a competitive runner since high school. “That’s all on top of the community support. So grateful to have had that experience. It was the perfect bookend to my story about why I run and what the sport has given me."

Added Albers, “The Boston Marathon was the toughest, most exhilarating, and most fun race I’ve ever been a part of. All of the cheering fans and thinking about the wonderful cause I am running for kept me going. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.” She ran to support the Sanders IMPACT Practice Center.

Koehn and Albers are accepting donations through May 31.

Other Runners and Volunteers

At least another 15 other people connected to the IHP completed the world’s most historic marathon. Among them are Aisling Cuffe, a second-year DPT student and elite runner who finished the course in 2:37.23, good for 22nd in the women’s division; and incoming DPT student Gabbi DosRamos, whose successful challenge battling cancer was the subject of a video by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital where she had her post-surgery physical therapy. She completed the course in 4:53.56.

Other runners included:

Student
Jill Calero, MPAS ’22 - 4:23.47

Alumni
Dan Adelman, MPAS ’20 – 3:07.16
Meriam Axelbaum, DPT ’21 – 3:39.47
Casey Brown, MPAS ’18 – 3:55.56
Tara Cates, DPT ’13) - 3:38.00
MacKenzie Duyon, DPT ’20 – 3:28.23
Erin Foley, OTD ’18 – 4:04.53
Jordan Griffiths, MS-SLP ’19 (who ran the 2020 Marathon to support the IHP) – 4:23.19
Currin Hall, MPAS ’20 – 3:20.22
Dan Kahn, MSN ’16 – 5:02.15
Lizzie Johnson, DPT ’21 - 4:08.33
Adam Raphael, MPAS ’20 – 2:51.51

Staff
Ronan Campbell, OSAS – 4:46.25

In addition, students and alumni volunteered during the race. In Medical Station 15 on Heartbreak Hill, PA Associate Director Josh Merson worked with students Kevin Galinat, MPAS ’22 and Raielle Novick, MPAS ’22 along with alumni Claudia Guillen, DNP ’23, Joe Gustin, MSN ’16, Ashley Munroe, MPAS ’21, and Mariah Bundy, MPAS ’20. Edison Naranjo Mejia, MPAS ’21 worked in a separate medical tent. Sarah Reis, MPAS ’22 and Arielle Kubes, MPAS ’22 were on the medical sweep bus, Lauren Dinapoli, MPAS ’22, Sonya Quaife, MPAS ’22, and Tami Bettinger, MPAS ’22 were at the finish line on wheelchair sweep, and Regina Miloslavski, MPAS ’23 volunteered at the finish line.