BOSTON, Mass. - Each stride Caroline Tocci takes keeps her connected to her cousin, Vanessa Marcotte.

“She always called me ‘Speedy Gonzales’,” Tocci said. “When I ran a half marathon, I think of shared my passion and got her into running.”

Tocci and Vanessa both loved running. Now, Tocci is using that love to run the Boston Marathon for a cause close to her heart: the Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation.

“When Vanessa died, I knew we needed to honor her and also help other women,” Tocci said. “So, we established the foundation with a mission to empower women to live boldly and fearlessly.”

Tocci said that’s exactly how Vanessa lived her life, before she was killed while on a run in Princeton in 2016. 

“I know she can’t run because she’s no longer here,” Tocci said. “I know she’s cheering for me.”

Crossing the finish line is a dream both cousins shared, and it’s been the driving force behind Tocci’s training over the past three years.

“I’ve been wanting to run the Boston Marathon for a very long time,” Tocci said. “I’ve always been a runner.”

Tocci is living out her marathon dreams and helping other women in Vanessa’s memory.

“I can’t imagine running for any other cause,” she said. 

And she said she can’t imagine doing it in any other race, in the city Vanessa loved.

“She loved Boston. She went to BU. The marathon is something she always wanted to do,” Tocci said. “I’m hoping to have fun and I’ll be thinking about her along the way and that will get me through it.”

Tocci finished Monday's marathon at 4:00:41, averaging just over a 9-minute mile.