She’s on a quest to run six major marathons in a year
This Northeastern student will kick off her journey with running the Tokyo Marathon in March and conclude with the Boston Marathon next April.
Lily Poteet starts her days around 6:30 a.m. with a run of 5.5 to 9 miles and then heads to class. Twice a week, she ends her day with another 7- to 8-mile run before hopping into bed at 10 p.m.
Poteet, a second-year business administration and communications major at Northeastern University, laces up her New Balance running shoes and logs nearly 80 miles a week with the goal of running six major world marathons over the next year.
Poteet will kick off her six-marathon journey in Tokyo in March, followed by the London Marathon in mid-April. She plans to participate in the Berlin Marathon in September, followed by Chicago and New York in the fall, and end with the Boston Marathon next April.
“What inspired me was the possibilities,” said Poteet, 20. “Pursuing running, being able to travel, and meet so many different people of all different ages around the world is something that I was really drawn to.”
Poteet was born into running. Her father, astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet, ran in high school, ran on the cross-country track team at the University of New Hampshire and has competed in 15 Ironman triathlons since 2000, including four Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. When he met his wife and Lily’s mother, Kristin, the couple began running together.
“We naturally just continued to run as the kids grew up,” added Scott Poteet. “That sparked an interest in them.”
Lily Poteet started running in elementary school and continued through high school, where she became an accomplished distance runner and was recruited to run for Northeastern.
However, she wanted to do more after running her first marathon, the Bay State Marathon in Lowell, Massachusetts, in October 2025 and finishing in under three hours.
“I loved it,” she said. “I had this longing to see what I could do after that first one. The world majors seemed pretty cool and like a way I can see the world while doing something I love.”
Not many young people run six world marathons, and Poteet is hoping to be one of the youngest, fastest female athletes to do so. She’s trying to qualify for each race through running tourism groups, applications and competitive race times.
Achieving this requires strict training, so she turned to her father, an accomplished marathon runner and Ironman triathlete.
“He gives me the best advice and motivation,” she said. “Support from other people is everything. I could not do it without the support of my parents, my siblings, my roommates and friends. Those people are the ones who are asking you how your run went, working around your schedule to hang out because you have to run a lot of the time and watch you while you race.”
Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University
Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University
Poteet and her father use Training Peaks, a program that allows Scott Poteet to upload workouts for the week and track his daughter’s progress.
“She’s committed to doing them and staying healthy,” her father said. “A big, big part is just to avoid getting injured or sick from all the intensity and high volume.”
Lily Poteet employs the “Norwegian method,” a science-backed approach to training that balances high-intensity workouts with easier ones in order to build endurance without getting injured or fatigued.
David Nolan, an associate clinical professor in physical therapy at Northeastern who works with marathon runners, said Poteet’s plan to run London this year and Boston next will maximize her recovery time and reduce injury risk.
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“The total miles related to training and running the races all with limited recovery may increase the risk of overuse injury like bone stress injury or tendon pathology,” he said. “It will be important that mobility, strength and cardiovascular fitness are all maximized to protect from injury.”
Poteet is now running about 75 to 80 miles a week, mixing in high and low intensity pace to build a strong aerobic base. Most days, she runs 7 miles and caps her week off with long runs: 18 to 20 miles with a running group that meets on Newbury Street in Boston. Her favorite spots to train are on the Charles River Esplanade or by Jamaica Pond, listening sometimes to house music or a podcast (though she doesn’t like to listen to anything when she races).
She also prioritizes getting at least eight hours of sleep to help her get through a day of training, classes and work.
“Sleep is the thing that gives you energy to juggle those things, and then just asking yourself, ‘What does this mean to me? In what ways is this movement in my life positive?’” Poteet said. “Putting those things in priority really helps you to see what things you could devote your time to.”
But the rigorous schedule doesn’t mean she doesn’t find time to embrace life at Northeastern. Poteet, who has a fashion minor, is on the e-board of the university’s Fashion Society and works on campus as a marketing assistant for the College of Arts, Media and Design. She’s also applying for her first co-op, which she hopes to begin in the fall.
But for now, she has her sights set on the Tokyo Marathon on March 1. She’ll fly in a few days early to adjust to the time change and hopefully do some sightseeing, she said, including pre-race carb loading on noodles.
“I’m feeling great,” she said. “I’m really eager. I’m hoping I beat my personal record but (I have) a ‘no expectations’ mindset. (And) I’m very trusting in my body. I’m a little nervous, but I think taking the steps to recovery, especially sleep and nutrition, eases my mind.”
She’ll use the time between races to recuperate, especially in the following days, when she’ll take a break from running and focus on stretching and massaging her muscles by foam rolling – and rest.
“I think she’ll be able to handle the volume,” her father said. “I’m excited to see what she can do for pacing. She’s got huge potential shooting for a low 2:50 finish time in this next one.”
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