BOSTON (WHDH) – When runners take their marks for the 2026 Boston Marathon, one family will go the extra mile — together.
Longtime Race Director Dave McGillivray is set to complete his 54th marathon, but this year’s race will look a little different. For the first time, he’ll be running alongside three of his children: Max, Elle, and Luke McGillivray.
“They’ve grown up with this their whole life — coming to races, handing out water, and putting out road cones,” Dave McGillivray said. “Eventually, they got the bug themselves, running some local road races before making the big jump to the iconic event.”
Raised on the familiar refrain, “Right on Hereford, left on Boylston,” the family says running is in their DNA. For Luke, the Boston Marathon bombing reshaped what the race means to him.
“The response that Boston had and seeing Meb Keflezighi win in 2014 truly taught me a lesson that humanity will prevail and humanity will come out stronger,” he said.
This year’s race also carries a special meaning. The McGillivray family is running in honor of Susan Hurley, Dave’s first wife and the founder of CharityTeams, who died in November after battling ovarian cancer. Through her work, Hurley connected marathon runners to charitable causes, helping raise hundreds of thousands of dollars —something her son Max said keeps runners motivated during the toughest moments.
“Although running a race is a solitary experience and you’re ultimately confronting yourself, what’s so impressive about the Boston Marathon and charity running is that you’re doing it for a greater purpose,” he said.
When Hurley was first diagnosed, Max ran his second Boston Marathon to support her, though he says she was the one encouraging him.
“I know that as I run this race this year, she’ll be looking down on me providing the same support,” he said. “It’ll be an insane experience when I get to that finish line. I don’t know how it will go, but I know I’ll be better for it.”
Running alongside the McGillivray family on race day will be NASA astronaut Sunita Williams. Williams famously ran the Boston Marathon on a treadmill while on the International Space Station in 2007. After the Needham native became stuck in space in 2024 and returned to earth this year, she told the McGillivray family she wanted to run the race again, this time on terra firma.
“When she got back, we were having some conversations about running the marathon on earth this time,” Dave McGillivray said. “We suggested she might want to run for a charity, and she said ‘I’d like to run for yours.’”
Williams and the McGillivray family are running as part of the Finish Strong charity team. When they all cross the finish line together, the McGillivrays say it will be a moment they will cherish beyond race day.
“Having our family to cheer us on at the finish line is going to be so special,” Elle McGillivray said. “It’s going to be great doing this with so many people.”
After more than half a century of marathons, Dave just has one concern left.
“I hope the kids don’t beat me by too much,” he said. “I hope they’re still awake when I cross the finish line.”
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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