He’s set to be a Six Star Medal runner with an artificial heart valve

Boston Marathon

“I just want to inspire other people to break barriers and prove anything is possible,” Edward Barnes said.

By Kelly Chan

April 3, 2025 | 3:23 PM

1 minute to read

In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for Boston.com’s pop-up Boston Marathon newsletter.

Name: Edward Barnes
Age: 36
City/State: Douglas, Mass.

On May 10, 2005, I woke up in Boston Children’s Hospital after open-heart surgery, uncertain about my future. I had just received a St. Jude artificial aortic valve, and the ticking sound in my chest symbolized a new chapter in my life. Growing up in Massachusetts, my dad and I would watch the Boston Marathon together, and he once shared a newspaper clipping of my cousin, who ran the marathon after brain surgery. It inspired me to promise him I would run the Boston Marathon one day.

After my father’s passing in 2011, I began training for that promise. My first marathon time was disappointing, but I didn’t give up. I ran other marathons, eventually winning a lottery spot for the 2019 NYC Marathon, where I discovered the Abbott World Major Marathons. This set a new goal: to run all six. I completed Chicago in 2021 and Berlin in 2022, and when the opportunity to run the London Marathon arose, I embraced it.

In 2022, I set a Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon with an artificial heart valve, a record that was later surpassed, but the impact of inspiring others to push their limits was more meaningful than the title itself. I’ve now completed five of the six Abbott World Major Marathons, with Boston remaining. When I cross that finish line on April 21, I’ll become the first runner with an artificial heart valve to earn the prestigious Abbott Six Star Medal, proving that with perseverance, even the greatest challenges can lead to extraordinary accomplishments.

I just want to inspire other people to break barriers and prove anything is possible.

Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.