Runnin’ Down a Dream
by Emma Dixon
At Carillon Elementary School, Cheryl Sjoberg has spent years helping students find their voices. This spring, she took on a very different kind of challenge, running the Boston Marathon while raising awareness for skin cancer prevention.
Cheryl, a speech therapist who lives in Oviedo, initially studied communicative disorders at Central Michigan University before switching majors late in her college career. After graduating and working in hospitality and event planning for several years, she realized something was missing.
“I never really felt like that was the right path for me,” she says, “so I decided to go back to school and finish what I started.”
Cheryl graduated from the University of Central Florida with bachelor’s and master's degrees in communicative disorders. She has worked with Seminole County Public Schools for nearly 30 years – 20 of which have been at Carillon Elementary, where she continues to support students in developing critical communication skills.
Outside the classroom, Cheryl has been a runner for the past 15 years. What began as a way to stay active gradually became something much more significant. Over the years, she has completed multiple races, including the Space Coast, Chicago, Marine Corps, and New York City marathons, numerous half marathons, and even an Ironman Triathlon. Yet one race in particular remained on her bucket list.
“The Boston Marathon has always been a dream of mine,” she says.
Rising to the Challenge
Knowing she would not qualify for the race based on time, Cheryl took another approach.
“I am not a fast runner, so I decided to try to run for a charity,” she says. “I applied with IMPACT Melanoma, and they picked me.”
Cheryl’s reason for supporting the nonprofit organization, which raises awareness about melanoma, is a deeply personal one.
“I have dealt with melanoma multiple times, as well as other types of skin cancer,” she says. “That’s why this charity means so much to me.”
Training for the Boston Marathon required months of discipline and very little sleeping in. Following a structured plan, Cheryl often rose well before dawn to get runs in before her workday began.
“The biggest challenge is getting up so early,” she says.
On more difficult days, Cheryl found perspective by focusing on her purpose and those who face obstacles far greater than a long run.
“I think about why I’m doing this, and that always helps keep me going,” she says.
Staying the Course
Race day on April 20 in Boston, Massachusetts, delivered an experience unlike any other. With what seemed like the entire city lining the course, Cheryl found the atmosphere both energizing and deeply moving.
“Reading the signs, giving high fives to the kids, seeing the dogs, the music, the volunteers – it all comes together out there,” she says.
As runners near the end of the course, they follow a well-known route, turning right on Hereford Street and then left on Boylston Street to the finish line.
“The crowds on Boylston are loud and electric, and that energy carries you all the way through,” says Cheryl.
Crossing the finish line brought a flood of emotion.
“Shock, excitement, accomplishment – I felt all of it,” says Cheryl. “I was just so grateful to be part of such a world-famous marathon. This has been something I’ve wanted for a long time, and it means the world that it came true.”
For Cheryl, being an educator and a runner are similar in one important way.
“In teaching, we’re always told to remember your why. I truly believe that holds true for running, too. Every runner who finished the Boston Marathon has a reason, and that’s what carries you through.”