Saugus Police Detective Stacey Forni talks about her goal to run in this year’s Boston Marathon

  Editor’s Note: For this week, we sat down with Detective Stacey Forni, one of five members of the Saugus Police Department who are registered to run in the 127th Boston Marathon, which is set for Patriots’ Day, April 17. This is the third in a series of interviews with each of the Saugus Police marathon runners that will be published in The Saugus Advocate, leading up to Patriots’ Day weekend. We will highlight each runner’s marathon running background, how they prepare for the grueling 26.2 mile course that will draw a field of 30,000 runners from all over the world, their motivation to run a marathon and the charity they are running for.

  Detective Forni, 50, is a 1990 graduate of Saugus High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from Suffolk University and is in her 28th year as a member of the Saugus Police Department. She was hired by the Police Department in 1995 and worked as a patrolman until 2013, when she was assigned a detective position, and that is where she is currently assigned. She is a general detective but specializes in handling sexual assault and domestic violence cases. She is married to Frederick Forni, a sergeant with the Saugus Police. They have two children. She is running for the Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation.

  Highlights of this week’s interview follow.

  Q: How did you get involved in Marathon running?

  A: I’ve been a recreational runner forever.

  Q: And why Boston?

  A: Because I’m from here and I consider Boston to be one of the best.

  Q: When did you start running?

  A: I have always run for fitness.

  Q: How long have you been running? Why do you run? What do you get out of it?

  A: I run to be healthy mentally and physically. This job can be tough mentally; sometimes you just need a good run.

  Q: How many Boston Marathons have you run in?

  A: This will be my second Boston Marathon; I ran my first in 2018.

  Q: Talk about the sense of accomplishment you get from this exhausting and physically challenging activity. Not everybody gets out and runs a Boston Marathon.

  A: I feel like every run is an accomplishment no matter the distance. Obviously, training for Boston is a lot of work and is challenging mentally and physically, but in the end, you cross that finish line and you know all that hard work you put in has paid off and you have raised a good amount of money for the charity/foundation you are running for.

  Q: What’s it like at the start of the race? Or, what do you think it will be like?

  A: I’m not a fast runner, so the wave of runners I start with leave later in the morning. By the time my wave starts, there really isn’t a lot of people at the start line, but once you get on the course the crowd is incredible.

  Q: Do you have friends or running buddies you’ll be running with in this year’s marathon?

  A: I’m part of a group called CharityTeams that works with runners to help them meet their marathon fundraising and marathon training goals. We have been meeting in Boston on Saturday mornings, and we run the actual marathon route. Through these trainings I have made a lot of new friends and connections. There is a specific group I usually run with, but we’ll have to see what happens on race day.

  Q: How many miles do you do in an average year?

  A: It varies depending on what I’m training for.

  Q: Do you do other marathon races besides Boston? Or, is this your first marathon? And will you run in others this year?

  A: I have run the Disney Marathon and I’m potentially running the Marine Corp Marathon later this year.

  Q: How do you prepare mentally and physically for this event?

  A: To prepare for Boston, I do hill training (up and down), distance training, weights and some spinning for cross training. Physically running the course on Saturdays leading up to the event helps because I already know what to expect on Marathon Monday so that helps with my nerves and mental preparation.

  Q: Any special meal regimen you do before the race? Like carbo loading?

  A: I definitely eat carbs for any long run, but I wouldn’t say I have a specific meal regimen. I just want it to definitely be something with healthy carbs that won’t upset my stomach.

  Q: How many pairs of shoes do you go through during the course of a year?

  A: Two to three.

  Q: What cause will you be running for this year? If you are running for a charity.

  A: I am running for the Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation. I have been investigating sexual assaults and domestic violence cases since 1996, and I knew I wanted to raise money for a charity/foundation that helps deter this type of violence, and that is exactly why this foundation was created.

  Q: What’s your fondest Boston Marathon memory? That would be as an observer.

  A: Crossing the finish line in 2018, the weather was horrible.

  Q: How long will you keep running this race?

  A: I’m not sure.

  Q: After running a Boston Marathon, what will you do the next day?

  A: I’ll make sure I hydrate and I get up and move around.

  Q: Have any friends or family members run this race before?

  A: Lots of friends.

  Q: Anything else that you would like to share about this experience?

  A: Anyone can run a marathon; it just takes commitment and mental grit. Unless you’re a professional runner, don’t worry about your time. Run your race and enjoy it – you never know if you’ll have the opportunity again.