PEABODY — A Peabody woman is honoring the memory of her mother and fulfilling a lifelong dream of running “the big one” – the 128th BAA Boston Marathon.

Randa Griffin Juliano will be one of 22,000 runners taking it to the streets and working her way to the finish line on Boylston Street near Copley Plaza in Boston. She’s hoping to finish the race in less than four hours. 

The Lawrence kindergarten teacher said she grew up running and ran her first road race with her father Kevin Griffin. But her inspiration to run Boston stems from her mother, Andrea Griffin, who died from colon cancer in June 2022 after a year-long battle with the disease.

“My mom was my best friend, my biggest cheerleader, along with my dad and she was the glue of our family.  She was taken from us far too young, at 58,” Juliano said. “She was an incredibly compassionate, strong, and selfless soul and I miss her every day. I just wanted to honor her in a special way, so I applied to be a member of the Dana-Farber team so that others, like myself and my family, don’t have to experience such heartbreaking loss, and miss out on special moments with the ones they love the most.”

One hundred percent of funds raised by Juliano will be donated to the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, an organization founded by institute trustees Delores Barr Weaver and her husband, Wayne, in honor of Delores Barr Weaver’s mother in 1987.

“My mother is the driving force behind my running with Dana Farber. These funds are fueling some of today’s most promising basic cancer research,” Juliano said. “With these funds, we’re headed toward the ultimate finish line: a world without cancer.”

Juliano’s original goal was to raise $10,000. So far, she has exceeded that goal with a total of a little more than $10,100, but that’s not stopping Juliano from continuing to up the ante. She is still actively encouraging donations, which can be made by going to her fundraising page, https://danafarber.jimmyfund.org/site/TR?fr_id=2100&pg=personal&px=2368163.

Juliano, a native of West Hartford, CT, ran her first marathon in 2019, a year after graduating from Merrimack College where she ran track and cross country. She had a breakout year as a senior when she placed 33rd at the Northeast 10 Cross Country Championship and also finished 51st at the NCAA Regional Championship.

She considers herself fortunate to have obtained a lottery entry into the 2023 Chicago Marathon, which she completed last October in a career-best time of 3:59.01.

Juliano’s long-term goal is to complete the Abbott Major Marathon series – Boston, New York City, Chicago, London, Tokyo, and Berlin. But due to her school schedule, she is finding it difficult to participate in the international races as they fall during the school year. For that reason, at least for now, her goal is to complete all of the races on U.S. soil.

“I would love to do the Abbott and that is my ultimate goal, but for now, I can really only focus on the U.S. races,” she said. “I hope to run New York City, and then London and Tokyo, but I really don’t know when.”

Another goal of hers is to run a marathon in every one of the six New England states. She’s already completed the Hartford, Newport and New Hampshire marathons. After Boston, she needs just Maine and Vermont to accomplish that goal.

For now, Juliano is enjoying the countdown to Patriot’s Day. She plans to stay loose with 10 more miles of training this week before the big day when her biggest cheerleader, no doubt, will be her husband Alex, a 2013 Lynnfield High graduate. Her sister Meaghan, husband Tim, niece Quinn, and in-laws will also be on hand.

“Alex will be there all the way. I’ve always loved running, but it’s been nice to run with Dana Farber because everyone on the team has a loved one who passed or was a cancer patient or is healing, so we know we are running for them,” Juliano said. “My mother and father have always been there for me. They took me everywhere when I was growing up. My dad has been a big supporter of my fundraising and thought it was very special that I wanted to honor my mom in this way. I know they will both be with me on Monday and I am so excited knowing that the race is almost here. I’ve loved every day of training and know that Monday will be an experience I’ll never forget.”