Brandeis student EMTs lend a hand for Boston Marathon

Brandeis Stories

Brandeis student EMTs lend a hand for Boston Marathon

April 14, 2026

When 30,000 runners line up to start the 130th Boston Marathon on April 20, a group of students from the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps will be right behind them, ready to help.

Since 1983, BEMCo has fielded a student-led, all-volunteer roster of licensed EMTs to respond to emergencies across campus throughout the academic year, and the organization often sends a contingent to the marathon.

This year, a group of around a dozen BEMCo EMTs will be assigned to various "sweeper buses" along the route. Stationed at designated medical stations along the course, the buses take runners who are injured or simply decide they can't finish the marathon to the finish line.

"Sometimes they don't want to run anymore; they just say 'I'm tapping out'," said Julia Kole '26, BEMCo field supervisor. "But often it will be because they got injured in some way or are sick in some way."

Being certified EMTs, BEMCo students submit their licenses to marathon organizers, and can provide first aid on the buses, which eventually transport runners to the finish line.

"It's a lot of smaller things, like an injured ankle, and we'll wrap it and do that kind of thing," Kole said. "But sometimes it will be more serious, and they'll call an ambulance."

For the students, working a large event like the Boston Marathon is a good learning experience. Daniel Gleicher '27 hopes to continue on to medical school after graduating from Brandeis, and wants to become an emergency room doctor. Ellen Chiang '26, BEMCo's executive director, is also on a pre-health track, and said she finds the experience rewarding.

"I knew I wanted to have some kind of clinical experience to see if I liked patient care," Chiang said. "And it turns out I do."