LONDON — When you’ve already logged nearly 20,000 miles traveling the world and completing five of the six marathons in the Abbott Marathon Majors series, what’s the big deal about crossing the pond to Great Britain to run another 26.2 miles – and punch your ticket to the Abbott Six Star Hall of Fame?
If you ask Lynnfield native Meghan Breslow, the answer is everything.
Running for Brain Research UK, the fifth-grade special education teacher at the Shoemaker School in Lynn, completed the series Sunday at the TCS London Marathon.
But it was anything but easy, and marked the culmination of a very long journey in many respects.
Breslow, 28, was one of a world record 56,000-plus runners who participated in the race. Halfway through the race at 1:30.14, Breslow was in great position to set a personal best and crack the 3-hour mark. She was looking even better over the next 5k at the 30k mark running her fastest split (12:30 km/h) and clocking in at 2:12.09.
Unfortunately, the rest of the race turned into a battle for survival, not only for Breslow, but for many other runners due to excessive heat conditions. According to the BBC, race temperatures reached 72′, making it London’s fourth warmest marathon in history.
Breslow was forced to seek aid in a medical tent. Against the advice of the medical team, Breslow fought through “brutal” pain and power walked from the 31k mark through to the finish line at The Mall at Buckingham Palace, finishing in 4:42.32.
“I knew I had a PR in me as I had high confidence in my training regiment over the winter.The first half of the race went really well, but then the effects of the heat turned into a struggle and frustration,” Breslow said. “At one point, they wanted to take me out of the race but I was determined to finish this race. I made it to the finish line and it was truly a celebration and well worth the effort. I certainly hoped to run better, but finishing the race after struggling like I did gave me a greater appreciation of how challenging marathons can be.”
A 2014 graduate of Lynnfield High, Breslow currently resides in Salem, NH. She was introduced to running when she joined the Pioneers’ cross country team. She grew to love running but it wasn’t until she decided to live an alcohol-free life that things started to fall into place.
“A few years ago I made a choice to stop drinking alcohol, which was becoming a destructive force in my life,” Breslow said. “Once I made that choice, I focused my efforts on running. If I didn’t eliminate alcohol from my life, I don’t think an Abbott award would have been possible.”
Breslow’s remarkable journey began when she set her sights on running the 2023 Boston Marathon after two alcohol-free years. She was thrilled to receive a bib number, running for the Mass General Emergency Response Team. Little did she know that her family would soon experience, firsthand, the importance of the team’s work.
Two weeks before race day, Breslow learned her older brother Matt had been seriously injured in an apartment building fire in New Bedford. Two people died; five were injured, including Matt, who escaped the blaze by jumping out of a fourth-floor window falling 50 feet to the ground. He was taken to a New Bedford hospital with life-threatening injuries and then transferred to Mass General where he was treated by the ERT, the same group Meghan was running to help.
“Matt was definitely with me the whole way,” Breslow said, who finished the race in 4:05.35. “When I crossed the finish line, I felt a surge of excitement and triumph and an ambition to run more marathons and raise more money for charity..”
And run she did.
Breslow followed with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October 2023, setting a nearly 20-minute PR with a time of 3:44.44. About a month later, she ran the TCS New York City Marathon, finishing in 3:50.14.
In March 2024, she lowered her PR by 27 minutes at the Tokyo Marathon, finishing in 3:17.36, a time that met the Boston Marathon qualifying female standard.
But Breslow wasn’t done yet. In September 2024, she completed her fifth major at the BMW Berlin Marathon, beating her PR by 12 minutes with a time of 3:05.21 and finishing 470th among the 18,523 women in the field.
For now, Breslow’s main focus is getting back to her classroom at Shoemaker. She plans to compete in the Marine Corps Marathon in Virginia in October 2025 and the Disney Marathon in Orlando in January 2026. She says it’s too soon to think about whether she’ll run in the Sydney Marathon this August, which was recently accepted as the seventh Abbott major.
“It’s such a big trip – maybe one day, but not anytime soon,” she said. “I;m still taking in today. Today was a rollercoaster of emotions. Obviously, there was lots of excitement heading into my final major for the Abbott Medal. Persevering through today’s race provided me with a greater sense of accomplishment and pride. And, of course, having my support team as they have been for each marathon to celebrate was awesome.
“I tried to smile, but I shed a few tears along the way, but I achieved what I set out to do, which was to get the sixth Abbott Star Medal, so for that, I am so proud.”
Anne Marie Tobin
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