Heartbreak's Boston 2022 capsule collection is a loving celebration of the people behind our global leadership in scientific innovation and medicine. The design uses the four colors representative of DNA's code chemicals in a nod to the researchers, ground-breakers, care-givers, nurses, & physicians who run these streets every day: the people who make Boston what it is.
We're turning the spotlight on five athletes from that community in acknowledgment of and gratitude for their work. The collection drops Thursday. Join the launch experience in Cambridge by registering here.
Rachel Rodin
Be careful making work jokes like "it's not brain surgery" in front of Rachel because in her case, it is. She's a resident physician in neurology who splits clinical time between Brigham and Women’s and Mass General, and did her graduate research at Boston Children’s. When the pandemic hit, her field of study was put on pause and she was swept into the health system's pivot to covid care. This neurology resident became a frontline caregiver. As an athlete, this Heartbreaker is F-A-S-T. She earned herself a spot on our elite Flyer team with her half & full marathon speed. She just ran 1:18:47 at the NYC Half while working night shifts. Get to know Rachel:
How long have you been running?
"I’ve been running for about 8 years. I started running as a way to help manage stress while studying for the first step of my medical licensing boards and during my first year of graduate school. After about a year I decided to run my first half marathon, and I was hooked after that."
What's your favorite thing about running in Boston?
"
Where to begin! Running culture is one of my favorite things about Boston. The routes and scenery are unmatched (a few favorites include Arnold Arboretum, Fresh Pond, and Mystic River). But I think my favorite thing is the grittiness of Boston runners. We train through some of the toughest conditions, at all hours of the day and night, in sleet and snow and humidity, and it makes us stronger runners and people. I love that little unspoken connection when you’re out running in absurd conditions and you see another equally crazy runner."
What are you most proud from the perspective of a Bostonian in the scientific/medical community?
"I’m really proud of the medical and scientific innovation in this city. It’s so common for major medical/scientific advances to be discovered here that I honestly sometimes forget how special it is. Throughout medical and graduate school it was pretty much routine that I’d learn about some groundbreaking idea and then realize that it originated here. I also think that there’s a strong collaborative environment between the various academic, industry and clinical powerhouses in town, and that’s a huge asset, especially when it comes to tackling things like COVID."
What's your relationship to the Boston Marathon?
"If all goes as planned I’ll be running my third (official) Boston marathon this April!"
