Mickey, running in the Boston Marathon with her friends Cassie and Dan.

When nearly 30,000 runners pinned on their bibs for this year’s Boston Marathon last week, area branch manager AVP Mickey Adams was among them.

Mickey with her medal after the race.

The 26.2-mile race, which took place Monday, April 17, was Mickey’s third marathon. Although her very first time qualified her for Boston, she waited until this year to run it so that her friends Cassie and Dan could join her. And it was worth the wait.

“This race was everything you ever hear or read about: 30,000 runners and 26.2 miles of spectators calling out your name — I guess it helps having your name plastered on your shirt,” Mickey joked. “It was a very hilly course, but with all the crowd support, the miles just rolled on by.”

Just getting to the starting line was almost as much of a journey as the race itself.

“We had to leave the hotel two hours before we were set to start, and leave all our belongings behind, except for what we were going to run in,” Mickey said. Any clothes they wore for the trip but took off for the race would be collected by local homeless shelters. “Then we had to take the subway to the meeting area, where we all jumped on school buses for an hour-long ride to the start. From there, we had a mile walk to the starting line, all the while trying to dodge rain that would not stop.”

Mickey’s co-workers sent her off in style with a gathering at Allouez on April 13. Assistant branch manager Aubrey Abrahamson designed the banner pictured, and district manager Kerri Collins took it all over the North District to get it signed by other bank employees. From left are Northland teller Char Schaible, Aubrey, area manager Sharon Hack, Mickey, area manager Katie Longsine, and customer care rep Kari Tuyls.

Although she runs at least three times a week, training for a marathon requires a more structured program. Mickey followed a 16-week plan that included long-distance runs — “and speed work, which is not my favorite,” she said.

It paid off, as she finished in four hours and five minutes, qualifying her to return to Boston next year. She, Cassie, and Dan ran the race as a pack.

“The three of us made the decision to stay together, and I am happy we did that,” she said. “I really just wanted to qualify again, so I am happy with my time.”