Runner Credits Vegan Diet for His Marathon Stamina

According to the official Boston Marathon website, 18 people from Westborough have registered to run in the 2011 Boston Marathon. For the 18 days leading up to the marathon, we will feature our Westborough marathoners and encourage you to cheer each of them to the finish line!

Name: Brad Capello

Age: 36

Marathon experience: This will be Brad’s first Boston marathon. He ran a half marathon in October. He credits his vegan diet for giving him the stamina for distance running. “I’ve been on a pure plant- based diet for the past three years,” he said. “I did it for my health. My energy level went through the roof.” An added benefit was losing nearly 50 pounds in three years.

Reason for running: Brad, who works for Genzyme in Framingham, said that running the marathon is “definitely a goal, just to see if I can do it.” He said there are others at his company who will be running in the marathon, and that provided incentive. Brad said he is excited about the run, but he does not feel nervous. “Probably a couple of days before…that’s when I might feel nervous,” he added.  

Training tip: Brad trains four days a week. “Three training runs and a long run on the weekend,” he said. His tip for anyone interested in marathon running is to get a heart monitor. “A lot of runners either run too fast on days when they should go slow and too slow on days when they should go fast,” he noted. Brad recommends understanding “the gray zone” and planning runs around it.