Red Deer Polytechnic student-athlete Melissa Ray completed the Boston Marathon last month.
The Three Hills native finished with a time of 3:16:45, which placed her 1,453rd among women aged 18-39, 1,812nd among all women, and 9,104th among all people running in the Boston Marathon. More than 28,000 runners completed the 2025 edition of the annual marathon, 12,210 of whom were women.
"I've always kind of dreamed of running the Boston Marathon. I didn't know if I ever would, so it was a really cool experience," Ray said.
"I have running friends in the community who are much better runners than me, so most of my training was just me chasing their ponytails. I feel like I owe this experience to my running friends and the running community. I would not be a part of it if it wasn't for them."
Ray said running in the Boston Marathon was "a humbling experience" as well.
"I'm used to some races, where when you get to the end there aren't too many people there to cheer you on. It was cool to have a crowd of people throughout the marathon," she said.
Earlier this month, the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association announced Ray was the 2025 recipient of its Torchbearer Scholarship, which is awarded to student-athletes who demonstrate exceptional leadership and a deep commitment to community service. The CCAA Torchbearer Scholarship awards six student-athletes annually with a $1,000 scholarship, in recognition their off-the-field leadership and civic engagement.
Ray is a veteran of RDP’s cross-country running team and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing student. She is also the founder and Run Leader of the Red Deer Run Collective, which is a free, inclusive running group. Over the past eight years, the collective has aimed to provide a welcoming, no-cost fitness space for runners of all levels and was formally recognized for its community contributions at the 2024 Healthy Living Expo in Red Deer.
In addition to her work with the Run Collective, Ray was named one of United Way Central Alberta’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2024. That same year, she helped organize and lead a 5K Kickoff fundraiser through United Way, raising $3,000 to support vulnerable families in Red Deer.
Ray also founded the Sarah Rohr Bursary Fund, a scholarship supporting single mothers in RDP’s nursing program. Created in memory of her late friend and mentor, the bursary has raised over $30,000 and continues supporting students pursuing education and community impact.
