For Monica, Boston’s Chinatown was a source of comfort, familiarity, and of course, Cantonese food. Growing up, her Yingying—her grandmother—would take her and her sister Erika to Chinatown while their parents were at work. Some of her fondest memories were the pungent smell of the chicken slaughterhouse; Yingying yelling in Cantonese for the "freshest bird;" and her excitement when they got dan tats (egg tarts). Chinatown allowed immigrants like Yingying and Monica’s parents to hold a piece of home while in pursuit of the American Dream. As a tribute to her Yingying, Monica is raising funds for BCNC as one of our Boston Marathon runners. Help Monica reach her goal and make a donation here.

BCNC is proud to be an official partner of John Hancock in the Marathon Non-Profit Program. The Non-Profit Program provides over 1,000 Boston Marathon® bibs to select non-profit organizations throughout the community, giving these organizations a significant fundraising opportunity. Last year, John Hancock Non-Profit Runners raised over $10M for their causes.

Read on to find out what keeps Monica from quitting when the running gets hard:

What's your favorite workout song or playlist?

Monica: I have a trusty running playlist called "marathon" I've been steadily adding songs on since 2018. As far as a specific song, “Higher Love” by Kygo and Whitney Houston always gets my legs to turn over with more pep when it comes on.

If you could make up any Gatorade flavor that would be served at the marathon aid stations, what would it be?

Monica: I love this question and it would have to be called Honey Just Dew It. Honeydew is my favorite fruit and also "just do it" is my running motto (in addition to some other miniscule company's tagline).

What's one thing you can't run without?

Monica: A trusty mesh running cap. And friends to call on a long run!

Where is your dream destination for running?

Monica: I've always wanted to run along the Big Sur. I imagine it to be both breathtaking to see the views and calming to hear the waves crashing.

When you get tired, what keeps you from quitting?

Monica: Knowing that quitting is always harder than continuing and that slowing down is better than stopping completely. Which I think applies to most things in life that you care deeply about.