NBC10 Boston and NECN meteorologist Tevin Wooten is running the 128th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15 to raise money for Boston Medical Center. He is one of 82 athletes who will be wearing a Team BMC singlet on Marathon Monday.
Tevin started running a few years ago with some reservations and was initially worried about testing his limits due to his asthma. But after emceeing the Boston Medical Center Pasta Dinner, he learned more about the work the Boston Medical Center does and wanted to do his part to help them out.
“Never in my life have I thought about running a marathon, never in my life have I run a marathon,” Wooten said. “As a storm tracker, I’ve been in the middle of hurricanes and winter storms, but this is the most challenging thing I’ve done.”
Many of his initial reservations began to dissipate as he started training for the 26.2-mile run.
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“My first 12-mile run ever, I was like, ‘Wait, this is actually kind of easy.’ You have these things in your mind that ‘This is going to be difficult, this is going to be so hard,’ and you do it and you’re like, ‘Wait, that wasn’t half bad,’” Wooten said. “I think that speaks to what we go through every single day in life where we think something’s going to be so difficult, we have these notions in our brain or someone tells us we can’t do something but you can, and you smash that wall down and you run through it literally.”
Wooten began training in November and has participated in long runs with other charity runners. The program is designed to bring in runners of all levels and skillsets.
"The irony in training for a marathon is that it’s the slowest part of my week," he said. "I’m able to focus on little things that make a big difference, like my breathing and mental fitness. As much as this is a physical journey, it’s a mental journey too."
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Boston Medical Center is an award-winning hospital with a long standing tradition of providing exceptional medical care. It also provides programs that address the causes of medical needs, including addiction treatments, a food pantry and a teaching kitchen.
“I think Boston Medical Center is great because they are rewriting the standard of excellence of healthcare. They’re not just taking patients into the hospital, but they’re true pillars of the community as well," Wooten said. "BMC meets patients where they are, no matter their background or circumstance. When there’s a medical need in the community, the staff at BMC figures out a way to address it head on, in an equitable way.”
Wooten said he’s also looking forward to running the marathon for those who can’t, including those with physical limitations or those who are underrepresented when it comes to marathon runners.
“It’s definitely going to be an exciting experience,” he said. “It doesn’t happen in life where everyone is gathered together for the same cause to cheer you on, but that does happen on April 15th from Hopkinton all the way down to Boylston.”
You can follow along with Wooten's journey on Instagram and X.
