When Father Died of Cancer, Actress Decided to Become Doctor, Run Marathon

A number of Somervillians are running the Boston Marathon next week in support of worthy causes. 

Below, we quickly profile one Somerville runner.

Name: Jenna Norton

Age: 27

Marathon experience: In an email, Norton writes, "This is my second marathon as Houston was my first. I started running in early 2009 when I could barely run a mile. Now I run consistently minimalist/barefoot and have done a variety of 5ks, half marathons, (and soon the Big Boston!) Eventually my goal is to do an Ironman or an Ultramarathon."

Charity: Massachusetts General Hospital for Children

Fundraising pages:

Reason for running: Norton's father died of cancer four years ago. It was a moment that changed her life. She's running the Marathon in his memory. Also, she partnered with a 12-year-old patient at Mass General Hospital for Children named Saraah who's fighting a rare type of lymphoma.

Norton writes: "I run so that I may inspire others. When I first began, it was extremely difficult to change my perspective. Through my father, I eventually found the courage to change my life and it has improved ever since. I want other people to see that anything is possible; I'm an actress turned pre-med student, trust me! As far as cancer research and funding, I hope to give back this new health I've found and really get behind a cause worth believing in. With my patient partner, I draw on her energy and she returns my excitement especially when talking about the marathon, running, and recovery time. I want to set a good example for her and for other runner's; I want to prove that even with something seemingly individual like running, you can be a role model."

Training tip: "I run and swear by a combination of minimalist/barefoot friendly footwear and fish oil," Norton writes. "My recovery time and inflammation have halved since I started both several years ago. Second, I train low, run high. I generally don't use nutrition during my training runs but portion out Gu's and beans on the race day. For some reason, this has always worked for me and my body loves the extra energy. Third and the most wacky: audiobooks. Long runs are a great chance for me to catch up on "reading". Kory knows I'm a real poor man's runner and don't have any high tech gear. My Ipod is from 2005 but it still does the job and holds as many books as I need!"