Murphy is currently in Boston as an active-duty Navy service member pursuing a master’s in Finance at Boston College. At Navy, Murphy finished 13th in the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 10k Final.
Q) What is your background in running, and how did you end up in Boston?
A) I graduated from the United States Naval Academy last year, where I competed on the track and field teams. Last May, I qualified for the 2025 NCAA Track and Field Championships in the 10k and earned Second Team All-American honors. I started running in 7th grade, so I’ve been running for about 10 years now, and I knew pretty early on that I eventually wanted to move up to the marathon.
Q) What were your goals and expectations going into the New Bedford Half and Boston Marathon? Were you expecting to run as fast as you did?
A) Going into New Bedford, I honestly wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. The course isn’t necessarily known as the fastest, and I was coming off a stretch of racing and traveling abroad with the U.S. military, so I was really happy to come away with a solid effort and a half marathon PR of 62:31. That race definitely raised the ceiling for what I thought I could do at Boston. Going into the marathon, I thought sub-2:09 would be a really great day, so to run as well as I did was definitely exciting and encouraging.
Q) How did the race play out at Boston? Did everything go according to plan?
A) The race at Boston went almost perfectly according to plan for most of the day. I felt really strong through the early and middle portions of the race. Then, shortly after Heartbreak Hill, I got a pretty bad cramp in my abdomen and was mostly focused on trying to manage that over the final miles. I definitely felt like I lost some time there, but that’s part of the marathon and part of racing in general. Overall, I was still really happy with how the day played out.
Q) Your BAA team had a strong performance at Boston. How did that team help you, and how did it affect your race?
A) Our B.A.A. team had a great day overall, and having that group around throughout the build made a huge difference. It was great getting quality workouts in with Robert and Barry during the marathon buildup. Mark Carroll’s coaching was also a huge factor in helping all of us prepare and perform at a high level. Also, incredibly grateful for B.A.A./Adidas for gear, nutrition, and support.
Q) What is coming up for your future, and what is next on your race schedule? A) So, as I mentioned, I graduated from the US Naval Academy last May and am actually active duty, Navy, but just in a student role pursuing a Master's in Finance at Boston College, before I return to Navy in a more traditional capacity. As far as racing goes, I’ll probably do some of the local summer races, including the B.A.A. 10K and maybe one or two others, before focusing on a bigger fall marathon later this year.