'It's just amazing.' Timmins, Ont., nurse finishes the Boston Marathon

A registered nurse from Timmins, Ont., achieved her lifelong dream of completing the Boston Marathon earlier this month.

Jennifer Mercier started cross-country running when she was in high school and picked up the sport again after her two daughters were born.

"I've always been lucky to have a lot of strong motivational women in my life," she said.

Before turning 40, Mercier said, she ran the Toronto Marathon last year, enabling her to qualify for Boston with one minute to spare.

"I have a group of mom friends and we all run together and just really support one another in our individual goals," she said.

"We understand the life of motherhood and we just, you know, lift each other up."

On April 17, she joined nearly 30,000 runners from around the world at the prestigious race. The women's portion was won by Hellen Obiri of Kenya.

"The whole vibe with Boston is just so energizing and it's really just such a community. It's just amazing," Mercier said.

Despite the challenging course with a lot of rolling hills, Mercier said she achieved a personal best marathon time of 3:38. 

She said the crowd's support gave her the energy to keep going, and her husband made the trip to cheer her on near the finish line.

Mercier added that she's glad she rediscovered running after her children were born.

"You can just lace up your shoes, get outside, and I think especially as women, and as mothers, it's really important to make some time for ourselves," she said.

"It makes me a better mom. It makes me a better wife, a better nurse, a better friend, daughter, everything. You know, you just have that time to yourself."