Carlos Sanchez (born October 18, 1958) and Mia Sanchez (born May 3, 2002) are American amateur marathon runners. In April 2026, they became the first documented grandparent-grandchild duo to individually qualify by time for and complete the Boston Marathon in the same year, participating in the 130th running of the event."A grandfather and granddaughter both qualified to run this year's Boston Marathon — an apparent first". WBUR. April 16, 2026.
Carlos spent 17 years attempting to qualify for Boston, completing 37 marathons before meeting his qualifying standard and gaining entry to the race after the cutoff time adjustment."Carlos Sanchez Marathon View". Marathon View. August 24, 2026. Mia qualified for Boston on her marathon debut.
Both runners met the Boston Marathon Qualifying Standards on the same day at the 2025 Mountains 2 Beach Marathon in Ventura, California. Their 2026 Boston Marathon finishing times also qualified them for the 2027 race,"First grandfather-granddaughter duo finishes Boston Marathon". WCVB. April 20, 2026. where they are scheduled to return together for the 131st Boston Marathon.
Media outlets, including WBUR, noted that while the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) did not officially track familial relationships among runners, Carlos and Mia were the first documented grandfather-granddaughter pair to both time-qualify and complete the race.
Early life and career Carlos Sanchez is a resident of Round Rock, Texas. Professionally, he worked as a computer programmer and system administrator in Central Texas. He began running seriously in 2008 at age 50."Carlos Sanchez 2008 Chicago Marathon Results". Bank of America Chicago Marathon. October 12, 2008. Over the next 17 years, he completed 37 marathons,"Grandfather-granddaughter duo to make Boston Marathon history". Canadian Running. February 11, 2026. attempting to meet the Boston Athletic Association's qualifying time standards for his age group. During this period, Carlos met the qualifying standard at the 2023 Chevron Houston Marathon, but missed the BAA's adjusted acceptance cutoff time to officially enter the race. He then spent 18 months recovering from injuries sustained in a bicycle crash during the 2023 National Multiple Sclerosis Society MS150 charity ride.
During his recovery, he resolved to "crawl the Boston Marathon" if he was accepted after the adjusted cutoff time. He had achieved a Boston qualifying time in Houston, but his finish time was not enough to get accepted for the 2024 race.
Mia Sanchez grew up in the Austin area and began running in seventh grade, competing in cross-country and track at age 11, inspired by watching Carlos run. She then attended Round Rock High School, where she competed in cross-country and track."Mia Sanchez Cross Country Bio". Athletic Net. October 16, 2023. A first-generation college student, she went on to compete as an NCAA Division II athlete at St. Edward's University in Austin."St. Edward's University Athletic Profile for Mia Sanchez". Go Hilltopers. Retrieved August 10, 2026. She later pursued a Master of Science in environmental health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, focusing her research on climate change and sustainability.
Boston Marathon Qualification The initiative to run the marathon together began in 2025 when Carlos asked Mia to attempt her first marathon at the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon in Ventura, California. Mia completed her debut marathon in a time of 3:14:26, securing a Boston Marathon qualifying (BQ) time on her first attempt. Carlos placed 3rd in his age group and completed the course in 3:50:49, officially meeting his age-group qualifying standard and gaining entry to the race for the first time after 17 years of attempts. Their qualifying performances allowed them to enter the 2026 Boston Marathon as time-qualified runners rather than through charity entries.
The 130th Boston Marathon On April 20, 2026, Carlos and Mia Sanchez competed together in the 130th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts. Mia finished with an official time of 3:14:42, while Carlos finished in 3:54:53."Recapping the heartfelt moments shared at the 130th Boston Marathon finish line". WCVB. April 20, 2026.
Prior to the race, WBUR reported that the Boston Athletic Association did not officially track familial relationships among runners. WBUR's research found evidence of previous grandparent-grandchild pairs who had run the Boston Marathon through charity programs, but no documented example of a grandfather and granddaughter who had both earned their entries by meeting the race's qualifying standards. The World Marathon Majors has also documented numerous family relationships among Boston Marathon participants, including multi-generational finishes."Notes for Boston Marathon: Family Ties". World Marathon Majors. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
Carlos and Mia also appeared on WBUR's Morning Edition to discuss their qualification and what it meant to run the race together. Following the race, WCVB reported Carlos and Mia had become the first grandfather-granddaughter duo to finish the Boston Marathon after qualifying by time. Their finishing times at the 130th Boston Marathon also qualified both runners for the 131st Boston Marathon in 2027, allowing them to return to Boston together for a second consecutive year.
The story received coverage from Texas outlets including KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman, as well as international publications including Canadian Running, Spain's Mundo Deportivo, and Vietnamese publication VnExpress."37 intentos, 130 años y un sueño por cumplir: una nieta y su abuelo correrán juntos la Maratón de Boston 2026". Mundo Deportivo. April 17, 2026."Ông - cháu làm nên lịch sử tại Boston Marathon 2026". VnExpress. February 13, 2026.
Post-race recognition In May 2026, during the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Convocation ceremony for the Class of 2026, at Agganis Arena in Boston, former CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky highlighted Mia Sanchez in her keynote address. Walensky described Mia as a first-generation student focused on climate change and sustainability and noted that she had found time during her studies to run the Boston Marathon with her grandfather Carlos.
References