When Kailyn Stonebraker sets her mind to something, she accomplishes it. Participating in the Boston Marathon wasn’t any different.

Stonebraker, a first-year medical student at OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, ran the 2026 Boston Marathon on April 20. She completed the 26.2-mile race in two hours and 58 minutes.

It was only her third marathon.

“The Boston Marathon was something I’ve always worked for and looked forward to competing in. I wanted the feeling of accomplishing my own personal goal,” Stonebraker said.

Running has always been a passion of hers. Stonebraker is from Oklahoma City, where she grew up running and competing in cross country in high school.

During her undergraduate studies at the University of Oklahoma, she set a goal of completing a marathon before graduating. She ran her first marathon in her junior year of college and has run one every year since.

Stonebraker qualified for the Boston Marathon before starting medical school. On her first day at OSU-COM, she asked Dr. Amanda Cain, clinical assistant professor of medical education, whether it’d be possible to train for a marathon as a medical student.

“Dr. Cain told me that I would have to stay on top of it, but she believed I could do it. And it helped me so much. I don’t know what kind of student I would be without running, because it allows me to stay on schedule and keep my priorities straight,” Stonebraker said.

Training for the Boston Marathon was the hardest part of the experience, but she found ways to balance it with medical school.

Her marathon blocks typically consist of 16 weeks of training, which she began in January. She’d run 60 to 65 miles a week in addition to one workout. When she ran on the treadmill, she used the opportunity to rewatch a lecture or study flashcards.

Although difficult at times, Stonebraker said her classmates’ support helped keep her motivated. A few of them started a run club and would join her on her training runs, and they even threw her a going-away party before she left for Boston.

“Getting to run with them was something really special we got to share. And I feel like it’s something that sets us apart from other medical schools. We would wake up, run, then go to class together, and it made us all super close,” she said.

Stonebraker first experienced the supportive atmosphere at OSU-COM during her interview, and it solidified her decision to attend.

“I felt a peace come over me when I first came to campus, and I loved how friendly everyone was. I couldn’t explain it, but I knew I could see myself here,” she said.

That same sense of community carried over to Boston. It was her first marathon where crowds on the sidelines cheered at every mile, and the first time she had raced alongside athletes of every skill level from across the globe.

She compared it to being at the Super Bowl and said it was the first time she found herself sad that the race was ending, because she was having so much fun.

Before the marathon began, Stonebraker joined the other participants on a bus to the athlete's village to prepare for the race — an experience that reminded her of not only her love of running, but also why she wants to become a physician.

“Being in that nerve-wracking moment with everybody was rich in humanity. It made me love running even more and the reason I chose to do medicine, just to be with people,” Stonebraker said.

The experience is one she will always be grateful for, and she hopes to one day run all six of the World Marathon Majors.

At the end of the day, Stonebraker didn’t only race the Boston Marathon for herself, but also for her future patients.

“To take care of other people, we need to make sure that our needs are met first. How am I going to tell my patients they need to take care of themselves and make time for the things they love if I’m not doing it myself?” Stonebraker said.