Waltham resident Tim Potter to run the Boston Marathon with Massachusetts General Hospital team

For most people, eating more carbs might sound fun and easy.

As 2025 Boston Marathon participant Tim Potter has learned, however, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

“The hardest thing has been adding more carbs and eating more than you want the night before to really help you on the runs,” Potter said.

It’s all part of the little intricacies that you learn when preparing for Boston’s greatest athletic event on the calendar. Potter, who resides near the Waltham Common and spends much of his time running on the bike path along the Charles River, will represent Massachusetts General Hospital in the 129th edition of the race on Monday, April 21. 

He’s one of 40 Waltham residents running the race this year.

Potter is taking on one of the most grueling tests in sports in honor of his mother, who underwent a bone marrow stem cell transplant to treat myelofibrosis, a rare form of blood cancer, at MGH last fall. Potter’s uncle ended up being a perfect match for his mother, Sue, who was isolated in the hospital’s cancer unit for three weeks after the operation.

“The people at MGH were so good to her,” Potter said. “She made many friends there, especially the nurses. It was great. I was thinking about doing the marathon and saw that MGH had a team. So I told them the story, applied and they were all for it. It kind of all stemmed from that. I was very lucky to get a bib.”

Fundraising has not been too difficult for Potter, who is running his first full marathon after completing the Baystate Half Marathon in Lowell last October. It’s a reflection of the reputation he and his family have cultivated.

“My parents are very giving people who don’t take a lot,” Potter said. “When people heard that I was running for my mom, they came out of the woodwork and donated so quickly and easily. The outpouring of support was amazing because my parents don’t really ask for anything. The donors have helped in any way they could.”

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the Boston Marathon is the camaraderie that accompanies it. Whether it’s training alongside like-minded athletes in search of accomplishing a momentous goal or cheering on the runners with thousands of fans throughout the 26.2-mile route, the event brings the region together. Potter has experienced this while gearing up for the race with MGH’s training team at Heartbreak Hill Running Co. in Newton. This group is a mainstay along the roads of the marathon route in the winter, and it has provided Potter with a critical sense of community.

“It’s been fantastic,” Potter said. “I have done most of my long runs with them. They give you an entire training plan, which includes a presentation on stretching from an orthopedist and a dietician who tells you how to fuel. That has been super helpful. The Heartbreak group does everything along the actual marathon course, so I have run every part of the course at this point. This is awesome because I am now very familiar with it.”

Potter has hit a slight bit of adversity along the way, dealing with a couple of nagging injuries. However, through months of drilling your body to withstand the tumult of a marathon course, you are bound to sustain the inevitable bumps. What has assisted Potter throughout the process is that aforementioned diet. His girlfriend has established a keen sense of healthy eating in their home, which has allowed Potter to charge up in the right way.

“I keep a pretty clean diet,” Potter said. “My girlfriend is very nutrition-focused. Our meals are very high in protein, which has made it easier leading up to the race.”

It seems as though Potter has checked off every box necessary for smooth sailing on the trek from Hopkinton to Boston. No matter the finishing time, however, Potter’s two dogs will be waiting for him once he returns home from the finish line on Boylston Street, beckoning for a walk on the Charles.

Are you, or do you know, a Waltham resident running the 2025 Boston Marathon? For a chance to get your story told, email us at news@walthamtimes.org. Please include information on your history with the marathon, your qualifying time or charity affiliation and any photos you may have.