Two firefighters with the Asheville, N.C., Fire Department will be running in the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America® in April as part of the CITGO-sponsored running team.
Stated Chris Kiesling, CITGO Assistant Vice President Light Oils Operations and Marketing, “Sponsoring firefighters from Asheville was one small way we could recognize and thank first responders who supported their communities during the devastating floods from Hurricane Helene last fall.”
Anna Pigman is a fire captain with the Asheville Fire Department and Dustin Cooper was a safety and training officer with the department before retiring in 2024. Pigman and Cooper have each run in the marathon once before, in 2014 and 2018, respectively.
For Cooper, running helps him overcome a health issue that affects the circulation in his legs. “Being a runner already saved my leg,” said Cooper. “My surgeon has encouraged me to again push myself to find new limits. My medical issues may slow me down, but they won’t stop me.” Cooper jokes that his marathon training included lugging buckets of river water to flush the toilets in his home after the flooding.
Pigman is using her participation in the Boston Marathon to inspire her community, her fellow firefighters, and her children — all of whom were affected by the floods last year. “It would be my hope that my focus and determination on being ready and prepared for this race would help others also regain their confidence and sense of normalcy,” said Pigman. “Getting back on track and in a place where I can have a successful race will allow me to role model perseverance and resilience for my nine-year-old daughters.”