SANTA ROSA >> Megan Buffalo, a kindergarten teacher at Lakeport Elementary School, has qualified for the Boston Marathon for the second year in a row.
Buffalo, a Clear Lake High School graduate, punched her ticket for the 2017 Boston Marathon, which takes place on April 11, by completing the Santa Rosa Marathon held on Sunday in 3 hours, 35 minutes and 42 seconds, an average mile time of 8:20 over the length of the 26.2-mile course.
Although Buffalo qualified for the 2016 Boston Marathon, she was unable to compete because of the overwhelming number of qualifiers with faster times. She feels she stands a much better chance this time around because of the time she posted in Santa Rosa.
Buffalo has been a runner most of her life. Her father, Mike Casey, was a runner and got Megan involved in the sport at a young age. She has competed in more than a dozen marathons and half-marathons as a member of the Lake County Milers club out of Middletown.
Buffalo and her sister, Lexi Casey, grew up in Lakeport and both attended local schools. After graduating from Clear Lake, Megan earned her undergraduate degree before attending graduate school at Sacramento State University. She returned to Lake County in 2008 along with husband Dan and their newborn son Owen. Megan gave birth to another boy, Nolan, in 2010. Both Owen and Nolan attend Lakeport Elementary.
Buffalo has worked in the past with distance runners on Clear Lake High School’s track team.
