Thomas Cantara’s resume speaks for itself. For all of the challenges that present themselves on the Boston Marathon’s 26.2-mile gauntlet from Hopkinton to Boylston Street, the 34-year-old distance runner has seemingly overcome every hurdle thrown his way during the storied race. Look no further than Monday morning — as the Nashua, New Hampshire native won the T20 Para Division of the Boston Marathon for the second year in a row with a final time of 2:37:35. “I felt pretty good. I knew I was going to have to pull back on the hills today,” Cantara told Boston.com. “During the weekend, I was fighting off allergy symptoms and I had a hard time getting good sleep, because my body doesn’t like waking up early. But once I got out there, I was just focused on staying comfortable … I’m really happy with my time today.” Cantara — who paced the same group in 2024 with a time of 2:35:23 — competes in the Para-Athletics Division for intellectual impairment (T20), with the accomplished marathoner running for the Gate City Striders running club and Special Olympics New Hampshire. A Special Olympics athlete since he was seven years old, Cantara first made the decision to take up distance running in 2012. At the time, embracing one of the most daunting physical tests in sports was an avenue designed to get in shape, with Cantara noting that he had dropped over 80 pounds since he first took part in a marathon in 2012. Little did he know that his love of distance running would soon take him across the globe — and on the precipice of achieving one of the most coveted accolades within the sport. But well before Cantara was shattering personal records over in Europe, he found himself on the ropes in his first marathon competition: the 2012 Clarence DeMar Marathon in Keene, New Hampshire. “I ended up not finishing my first marathon,” Cantara said of his first attempt at 26.2 miles. “I ran up to 22 miles, then I walked a mile, and then I got cramps, and I dropped out and I felt really depressed and I was almost done with marathons at that time. I just thought, ‘I couldn’t do this.’ And my mother [Deborah] told me, ‘If I can run 22 miles, I can do a marathon.’ So a month later, I bounced back, and I went to a marathon in Cape Cod in Falmouth, and that’s where I finished my first marathon in just under three-and-a-half hours. … There’s just something about it that just wants me to keep coming back to run a better time.” Monday represented the seventh Boston Marathon that Cantara has completed in his running career. As a seasoned veteran of the world’s oldest annual marathon, Cantara is now well aware of the pace — and discipline — required to make the right turn on Hereford and left on Boylston in short order. “There’s so many downhills that it’s so easy to go fast,” Cantara said of the Boston course. “I know downhills are the type that beat up the quads a lot. And for people who run the downhills really hard and then they go on the uphills on beat-up quads, that’s when it gets really hard.” But Cantara’s dreams of conquering any 26.2-mile course mapped out in front of him has carried him well beyond New England. The Granite State native is rounding the final stretch in his goal of earning the prestigious Six Star Medal — a lofty goal for all distance runners. To achieve the Abbott Six Star Medal, a runner must complete all six of the world marathon majors: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. Even if Cantara is more than familiar with the challenges of Heartbreak Hill and the cacophony of cheers present in Kenmore Square, he’s proven adept at dominating on whatever course he steps foot on. After checking Boston off the list, Cantara completed the Chicago Marathon in October 2022 with a time of 2:36:28 — at the time, it stood as a six-minute improvement from his previous personal record. Perhaps the most validating achievement for Cantara came in 2023 when he returned to the Clarence DeMar Marathon — the same race that nearly stalled out his distance-running dreams over a decade earlier. This time? He won the entire marathon with a final time of 2:32:50, equating to a 5:50 split. “I was pretty shocked that I pulled off a victory that day, because for someone like me with my impairment — that hardly ever happens,” Cantara said. “So that was a pretty sweet thing to come back and win that race on a course I struggled with early on.” His performances continued to improve as he headed overseas for more races. In his first international competition in the 2024 Berlin Marathon, he posted a final time of 2:31:23 — the best mark of his running career. After winning his first T20 division in Boston in 2024, Cantara’s reps only increased to close out 2024. That November, he placed 399th out of a field of over 55,000 runners at the 2024 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:39:57. Just over a month later, he finished the California International Marathon in Sacramento at 3:28:19. And on March 2, 2025, Cantara inched one step closer to his Six Star Medal by completing the Tokyo Marathon in just 2:36:39 — placing him 334th out of nearly 38,000 participants. Now, just one more challenge remains in his quest for the Six Star Medal — completing the London Marathon … which will be held on April 27. Given the task in front of him, Cantara’s goal was to not push himself too hard on the up-and-down terrain in Boston — given what awaits less than a week from now. “My thought is — just finish the race,” Cantara said of his approach for London. “Because I did two marathons not far apart from each other with Tokyo and Boston. And if my legs really good going to London, I still want to be honest about my goals and stuff. “So my big goal is to finish the race. But if I feel strong, maybe I could run a sub 2:40. But my mindset at the start of the race is to just get in and get a feel for the race and try to finish it, which I feel like I should be able to do.” Even with a successful showing in London, Cantara doesn’t intend on slowing down any time soon. Given all that distance running has offered him — coupled with the fact that a seventh major marathon is set to enter the field in Sydney later this year — Canatara still has plenty more to give the sport where he has found his calling. “The longer I stay in the running community, the more friends I obviously have made,” Cantara said. “And without their support, I feel like I wouldn’t have blossomed the way I did in running. … It gives me reassurance, because sometimes I feel like every distance runner, especially marathoners, need a little reassurance. “You may be at your [best] ability. But when race day approaches, you may not feel confident. But then you’re thinking, ‘They’ve done many marathons — and I should be able to do the same.’”