She was on 'Ironman' team

Bill Burt, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·1 min read

Oct. 17—Katherine Walsh, of Andover, made her second Boston Marathon as memorable as her first.

The retired Mass. State Trooper ran with the Mass State Police " Ironman" Team.

The MSP Marathon runners raised money for the charity "Cops for Kids with Cancer."

This year, members of the Ironman team ran in memory of former state trooper/Detective Lt. Billy "Ironman" Coulter.

Coulter had served on the Massachusetts State Police for over 45 years, achieving the rank of Detective Lieutenant. He was a member of the Massachusetts State Police Commissioned Officers Association. He was also a longtime cancer survivor and Walsh was struck by his passion for the "Cops for Kids with Cancer" cause.

Coulter was the Chairman at the time of his death. His other passion, according to Walsh, was physical fitness. He completed over 20 Ironman triathlons and 150 marathons, including 36 consecutive Boston Marathons and every Disney World Marathon up until his passing in 2019.

Monday would have been Coulter's 38th Boston.

"Having run Boston in April and now in October, the biggest difference for me was training in the summer heat which I actually preferred to winter training in New England," said Walsh Tuesday. "What made yesterday's day so special for me was to finish what I originally started training before COVID cancelled the Marathon in 2020.

"I was hoping to complete my second Boston Marathon at age 50, but ultimately reached my goal at age 52," she said. "What also made the day so special is that I was able to raise funds for families fighting childhood cancer. The crowds were amazing too. It was great to have so many out there cheering for the runners."

Her impressive finish time was 4:14:53.