Lorlei Dwyer, RN
Leigh O’Brien, BS, RN
26.2 Miles in a Nurse’s Shoes
Two BWH Nurses Rise to the Challenge of Filling the Role of Marathoner and Mother
When you ask Lorlei Dwyer, RN and Leigh O’Brien, BS, RN to describe their jobs, they might struggle to find just one correct answer. For both Dwyer and O’Brien, their days are comprised of several full-time jobs – responsibilities ranging from providing top-notch nursing care, to raising their children and training to run the 2002 Boston Marathon.
Lorelei Dwyer, RN, a night-shift nurse on 10 CD and mother of four, loves her job and her family, but never shared the same passion for fitness or sports. That was before. Now, Dwyer, who in college could only run about a half-mile before quitting, has become
a two-time Boston Marathoner.
“A nursing colleague of mine challenged me to run the Boston Marathon two years ago,” described Dwyer. “I agreed, but her challenge did not drive my decision. When I said ‘yes,’ I was testing myself.”
Dwyer has always been proud of her work, and is most proud of her four children. However, deep-down, she was looking for a way to validate her strength, both physically and mentally. “I reached a point in my life where I wanted to push my boundaries and test my courage,” she said.
Self-determination fueled Dwyer’s decision to enter the 2001 Boston Marathon. A little bit of luck, earning her a number only three weeks before Marathon Monday, helped along the way. But Dwyer was searching for more motivation. After she and her husband lost his mother to cancer, clarity was gained, along with greater ambition - she would run to raise money for cancer prevention.
By running in her mother-in-law’s honor, Dwyer felt as if she was giving back. “So many people made sacrifices for me when I started my training regimen. My family was extremely supportive and selfless, especially when I gave up on doing the laundry and we started ordering out a lot,” she described with a laugh.
The day before the 2001 Marathon, Dwyer promised herself she would never run another marathon again. Twenty-six miles and a finish line later, Dwyer’s pre-race nerves were transformed into an adrenaline rush that lasted months. Fortunate for Team Brigham, her runner’s high has not waned since. After April 16, Team Brigham can count Dwyer as a two-time runner on their roster for 2003.
Leigh O’Brien, RN, commutes to BWH three days a week from Cape Cod. Because she lives such a long distance from the hospital it was hard for her to travel in on the weekends to train with Team Brigham. But, O’Brien wasn’t without a coach and personal trainer - those roles were aptly filled by her husband and two-year-old son.
O’Brien would wake on Saturday mornings for her long runs, distances of up to 18 miles, and be met along the way with Gatorade, snacks and smiling faces.
“My husband and son pack up the car and drove out a few miles to meet me along the way,” she said. “As part of our Fitcorp training regimen, we were taught to run while hydrating and eating, but I get the benefit of a personal cheering team, too.”
O’Brien always looked forward to the sight of her family’s stroller along the route. The stroller became a personal water stop - a place to re-fuel and re-energize and the quick break provided time for the family to map out their next meeting point. On Marathon Monday, the stroller was packed up again, this time the destination was Boston.
Back at BWH, O’Brien was not lost for inspiration. Her colleagues in the Electrophsyiology Lab (EP) found a unique way to motivate each other to get back in shape. What started out as a joke, became a fierce competition. Twenty members of the EP lab team are now vying for a first place finish in a weight loss challenge. The competition was arranged to see who could safely lose the most weight in six months. But, O’Brien admits now she had her sights set on a larger goal: crossing the finish line at Copley Place in four hours or less with the family stroller clear in sight.