After a suicide, running helped a Framingham mother and son cope. This will be their first Boston Marathon together.

Boston Globe

10-04-2025

Each stride helps him find a balance between grief and solace, between the trauma he's endured and the freedom that running offers. Ben's mother, Lisa Burgess, a veteran marathoner,
'As I started to focus specifically on running,' Ben said,
'that was my channel for agency and having control over my life, given what was around was unstable.'
A family photo shows Eric Burgess (second from left) with his children (left to right) Abby, Sam, and Ben. Ben and his mother Lisa are running the Boston Marathon after years of running to help process the grief of Eric's suicide in 2016.
Courtesy of Burgess Family
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Eric Burgess was known for his beaming smile that often shone on Ben during basketball, football, and baseball games. Alcoholism turned Eric into a different person after he separated from Lisa in 2009, the family said,
but he saw his kids when he could, especially at sporting events. His suicide in July 2016 came as a shock.
Since then, grief has propelled Ben and Lisa, who say they love being able to train on the Boston Marathon route year-round, surrounded by a support network of
people who have
also lost family members.
'You get a runner's high, and it just makes you feel better,' said Lisa, 55. 'It means you have wings, you could run forever, you feel like it's effortless.'
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Lisa Burgess trains for the Boston Marathon in Framingham. Burgess has spent years running to help process the grief of her ex-husband Eric's death to suicide in 2016. This year's Boston Marathon will be her seventh time competing in Boston.
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
This will be Lisa's 13th marathon.
It's her seventh time running Boston and the second time she's
'Grief doesn't discriminate and so we never want financial barriers to get in the way of people accessing services,' Kennedy Panto said.
Son speaks out about mental health, family trauma
Ben Burgess isn't just training to run the Boston Marathon. He's aiming to crack the top 100 runners, with a time under 2 hours and 30 minutes, he said.
He recently finished
'I couldn't be more proud of him, to see him persevere given the personal challenges he's had,' his mom said.
This month's marathon also marks two years since the 24-year-old was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. A breakdown in April 2023 left him irritable and angry, and he landed in a hospital
just a month before he was set to graduate from UMass Amherst.
Burgess and his mom see his bipolar diagnosis as connected to his father's mental health struggles. The family also believes the suffering goes back a generation further: Eric was half Native American, raised by a First Nation Eskasoni mother who had been forced into an
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'There is genetic disposition,' said Ben, who will join his sister Abby Burgess on a
After his mental health crisis, Burgess had to figure out which medications would
relieve his symptoms, and for a time, he had to sacrifice his athletic training. But the road back
has led him to the Boston Marathon.
'You can still reach high levels of achievement given the circumstances,' he said.
Ben Burgess, 24, trains for the Boston Marathon in Framingham. His goal is to finish among the top 100 runners.
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
Running for Eric's memory
Lisa and Eric Burgess met on AOL when she was 28 years old, working for a New York City law firm, and he was 31. They realized they were both from Framingham and knew a lot of the same people. Soon, they married.
'I wanted to move home so we could start our lives together, and he picked me up from New York to move me out of my apartment with an engagement ring,' she said.
In Massachusetts, the couple and their four children were happy together, taking their German Shepherds to Callahan State Park and trick-or-treating in Framingham. Though the couple
divorced in 2010, Lisa hoped that Eric would stop drinking and seek mental health treatment so she could have him back.
'For all the years that we weren't together, I hoped in my deepest hopes that we would get back together again,' she said.
Lisa Burgess shows off her medals from various world major marathons that she's run, including London and Berlin. She says the Boston Marathon is her favorite.
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
her loss, she said.
'It's such a resource for me, I want to give back every chance I can,' Lisa said. 'This is the club that none of us wanted to be a part of, but we're really glad we have each other.'
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She'll wear bib number 25091 this year as she follows her son, who will start running hours before her in the second corral of Wave 1, wearing bib number 1650. The staggered start means Ben will be able to cross the finish line with plenty of time to go cheer for his mom along Beacon Street in Brookline, she said.
She thinks Eric will be watching, too.
'Sometimes I imagine that he actually is looking down and beaming with pride,' she said. 'He would exude pride for what his kids are doing.'
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or struggling with mental health issues, help is available.
The
national suicide and crisis lifeline in the US is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org and
. Additionally, Samaritans has
.
Claire Thornton can be reached at