From the Netherlands to Vermont, this Local Motion advocate is chasing Boston—one emotional mile at a time.

Daniel, Mid Run

If you've ever spotted someone crossing a RunVermont finish line mid-scream, arms wide, pure unfiltered joy on their face, there's a good chance that's Daniel Liguori.

Originally from the Netherlands, Daniel made his way to Vermont by way of Nashville, drawn to the state's access to nature and its slightly more European pace of life. Now living in Essex Junction and working as the Outreach and Logistics Supervisor at Local Motion, he's also become a passionate runner with one very clear goal on the horizon: qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

We sat down with Daniel to talk about his running journey, his philosophy on racing, and why he believes running is one of the last truly pure wins in adult life.

From Soccer Pitches to Gravel Roads

RunVermont: Tell us a little about your background. How did you end up in Vermont and in running?

Daniel: I grew up in the Netherlands, half American, half Dutch. My dad is from upstate New York, so I always had this connection to the US. I went to college in Nashville, which was a lot, and I wanted somewhere that felt a bit more European, but still had great access to nature. Somehow I ended up in Vermont, and I've never looked back.

I've always been a cyclist at heart. I started working at a bike touring company when I first moved here, and now I work for Local Motion on bike education and infrastructure advocacy. Running kind of crept up on me. I'd done a few 5Ks growing up in the Netherlands, but it wasn't until I picked up a pair of running shoes more recently that I really fell in love with training for longer distances. The same energy I was throwing into gravel racing, I found in marathoning.

Chasing Boston

RunVermont: You've run two marathons, the Marine Corps Marathon in DC and the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon (VCM). What's driving you back to VCM this year?

Daniel: The goal is to qualify for Boston. Last year at VCM, I was so sure I'd done it. I finished and I was just screaming. There's actually a photo of it somewhere in the archive. But I ran 2:51, and the cutoff for my age group was something like 2:49 or 2:50. So I came up just short. That's a hard moment, but it just makes the goal feel more real. I know I can get there.

Daniel Finishing the 2025 M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon

RunVermont: How did VCM compare to running in DC?

Daniel: They were completely different experiences. DC felt like seeing an entirely new world: you're running past the National Mall, all these monuments you've only seen in pictures. VCM is the opposite. These are my roads. I bike on them, I commute on them. But when you're in the marathon, you're seeing your own city from a whole different angle. Burlington at its absolute best, everyone's out there, super excited. It's this familiar place that suddenly feels completely new.

The Winter Work: Freezy Cheeks and Speed Training

RunVermont: You ran the Freezy Cheeks race series this winter. What was the strategy there?

Daniel: It was all about building speed in the off-season. I wear my Hoka Challengers for long training runs out in the Westford area. They're mostly trail shoes, but they handle the road fine, too, and the winter races were the perfect complement. The idea was to do the fast-twitch work over winter so I could convert that speed into endurance come spring. At the last Freezy Cheeks I was aiming for sub-17 in the 5K. I think I hit 17 flat, which was still a milestone. And it all feeds into the sub-2:50 goal for VCM this May.

Daniel after a VERY Freezy Freezy Cheeks

Running Emotionally and Why That Matters

RunVermont: You describe yourself as an emotional runner. What does that mean to you?

Daniel: I think a lot of people put in all this training and then they don't really send it on race day. And I get it. There's anticipation, there's nerves. But I think of the race as your moment to really throw everything out there. Go into the red. Push yourself past what feels comfortable. Adult life is kind of a grind in a lot of ways, and a race is your chance to really let it all out.

That finish line feeling is a mix of anger and joy and relief and pride, all at once. And if you hold back, you don't get to feel that fully. More people should treat racing as a fully embodied experience. Mind and body, all of it.

The Pure Win

RunVermont: What would you say to someone who's on the fence about getting into running?

Daniel: Start small and build incrementally. That's it. Because once you start asking yourself "how do I beat yesterday?", it becomes addictive. Adult life doesn't give you clean wins very often. You might get a promotion, but it comes with more responsibility. You might find love, but relationships are complicated. Racing is simple: what you put in is what you get out. If it all comes together on race day, that win is entirely yours. You can't say that about much else in life.

Words of Wisdom for First-Time Marathoners

RunVermont: Any advice for someone tackling their first marathon at VCM this year?

Daniel: More miles than you think you need, and slower than you think you should go. Time on your feet is the one thing you can't fake. I learned that the hard way: I cramped in DC because I was doing too much intensity with not enough volume. Slow down, build up gradually, and don't compromise on the mileage. Run slow if you have to, but get those miles in. That's what makes the difference.

Daniel & Other Participants at the 2025 M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay

Daniel Liguori is a runner, cyclist, and active transportation advocate based in Essex Junction, Vermont. He works as the Outreach and Logistics Supervisor at Local Motion, where he leads the Bike Smart youth cycling education program. He just ran RunVermont's Half Marathon Unplugged and is chasing a Boston qualifier at the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon in May.