When Leah Mahoney was about seven years old, she developed a passion for running that opened an entirely whole new world for her. “I’ve got to run in the coolest places,” she said. “I feel like I’ve run all over the world.”
Her reason for running at such a young age was a coping mechanism for health complications she was dealing with at the time. “I was going to Boston Children’s Hospital once a week in first and second grade,” she said. “When I started running, I was able to alleviate some of those issues. Since then, I fell in love with it.”
Now 24, Leah has run five marathons — Narragansett, Boston (twice), Dublin, and London — and will be adding to that total in October when she crosses the Chicago Marathon off her list.
Before she does, she’ll be running her 10th Falmouth Road Race this Sunday, and first for the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod. “We live in such a tech savvy world, I love that the Arts Foundation prioritizes our youth and creative experiences for children,” Leah said. “I grew up playing instruments, drawing, and coloring. I think it’s so important to give those types of creative experiences to our youth.”
Leah, who currently supports clinical providers and hospitals as a specialist for the software company Meditech, has no lofty goals this weekend unlike in 2023 when she finished the race in 47:19.
Instead, she will be alongside her boyfriend, Ryan Pearl, who will be running his first Falmouth Road Race for Gosnold Behavioral Health. Both her parents, Marybeth and Kevin, are also running this year’s race; they are supporting Tommy’s Place.
“I really want to take it all in and enjoy the race instead of rushing through every mile,” she said.
Leah credits her mother, a regional marketing and design specialist at William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance, for pushing Leah and her two brothers, Alec and Connor, to embrace creativity in their lives.
As a student at Sandwich High School, she participated in Sandwich Soul, a show choir led by instructors Melinda and Kevin Lasit.
These days, Leah is tapping into her creativity in new ways. At the end of 2023, she launched an Instagram page (@endurance_wins) that combines her passion for running with her passions for art and storytelling “I travel a lot with running and this page allows me to take artsy pictures and videos to show all the places I’ve been,” she said.
The page also allows Leah to share her gratitude for how running has positively impacted her life. As an athlete in high school and college — she played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse in Sandwich and lacrosse for two years at Stonehill College where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in health science in 2023 — it offered her the endurance she needed to outrun the competition.
Today, running has become an outlet to relieve the stress and anxiety that comes with everyday life. “It helps me mentally,” she said. “When I run, I feel so much better. It’s a nice way for me to stay in touch with myself, in touch with nature, and kind of detach from the real world.”
She also understands how fortunate she is for the simple fact that she is able to run (and run long distances).
“My ability to run is really a gift and something I think about a lot,” she shared. “A lot of people can’t do what I’m able to do. …It really is a privilege that I am able to be a marathon runner.”
It is why she uses events like this weekend’s road race as an opportunity to give back and support nonprofits like the Arts Foundation. “There are a lot of amazing organizations out there like the Arts Foundation which need some help,” she said. “If I can fundraise for them, I want to.”
Click this link to support Leah Mahoney in this year’s Falmouth Road Race.
You can support the Arts Foundation’s 2025 Road Race team here.