Then last September she ran the Sioux Falls marathon, where she qualified for Boston. Two more kids followed before Shannon got back to running marathons. At 29 she completed Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth and did it three more times before her first child came along.

Her goal was to run a marathon before she turned 30. “Boston eventually became a bucket list item for me, but I had to work toward it. As motivation I signed up for a race being held in Willmar, and I fell in love with it,” Shannon said. “I started running in my late twenties as a way to get a little more exercise. She’s one of only 10 percent of all marathoners who will ever get to compete in this prestigious race. When OB-GYN nurse practitioner Shannon Elton first began running, she never dreamed she’d be one of the 27,165 runners at the 2015 Boston Marathon. Imagine running through the streets of Boston as crowds cheer you on and after 26.2 miles you cross the finish line, victorious and proud. It’s the stuff dreams are made of-a runner’s dream at least.

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