“I Love Having Something to Train For”

Ryan Enright ’94 loves running—something he has done practically all his life with one exception. After graduating, he put his passion on hold to focus on a career in real estate. 

“Thanks to a great assist from Career Services, I got an interview that led to a job with real estate investment firm GID in Boston. While that launched my career, I needed time to settle professionally and I took a break,” recalls Enright, a marketing major and communication minor. 

Then, in 1997, he attended the 100th Boston Marathon to cheer on a friend. The buzz of that historic occasion prompted him to resume running and to become a marathon regular—one who will complete his 25th consecutive Boston Marathon on April 18th and his 31st overall marathon. 

As he has done before, this year he will run with Team Joslin in appreciation for the Joslin Diabetes Center, which cared for him upon being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2010.  A shocked Enright feared his marathon days might be over when he heard his diagnosis. Joslin’s medical team made sure that never happened.

“They didn’t just teach me how to live with diabetes but how to thrive with it—managing my insulin, eating more protein than carbs, checking my blood sugar and taking care of myself,” recalls Enright, who also has run marathons in New York City, Chicago and Berlin.

Given the balance that running provides, Enright is grateful that it is still a big part of his life.

“Running is my daily form of exercise and a way to think through issues and problems and find some quiet time alone. There is no better or cheaper therapy for my mind than being alone out in nature, thinking and pondering the issues of the day,” he says. 

A managing director with the global real estate company JLL in Boston, he works in an industry buffeted by COVID-19. 

“In 2020, real estate just stopped and to survive, we had to hold our nerve while moving swiftly and wisely in doing business differently. Thankfully, now there are signs of a turnaround,” he notes. 

Whether dealing with a major health challenge or unexpected economic shifts, Enright says Stonehill’s rounded liberal arts education prepared him for life’s challenges and how to adapt to them. The key for him was getting involved, gaining practical experiences and finding great mentors. 

“I ran cross country, helped start the lacrosse club and even coached the team, served as class president, and interned with CNN in London. I had mentors like Professor Debra Salvucci who made accounting interesting and Professor Robert Carver, who got me to appreciate quantitative analysis and statistics,” he says. 

A person of faith, Enright also speaks highly of the late Rev. Thomas Halkovic, C.S.C. ’67 and then director of Student Services. “My wife and I got married in the Chapel of Mary with him presiding. I can still picture the day—one of my happiest,” he recalls.

Next Monday will be both a challenge and reward for Enright when he laces up his running shoes for his 25th Boston Marathon. After that, he will run the final two marathons of the Abbott World Majors—the London and Tokyo Marathons. 

“I love having something to train for, a goal to overcome, a tradition of testing myself. And here we are, 25 years later.”