In 1976, after graduating from Pittsfield High School as a three-season athlete, I started at Plymouth State College (now PSU). I loved playing basketball more than any other sport, and I knew I wanted to play for PSC. Knowing that collegiate training is much harder than high school, I had spent the preceding summer thinking hard about what was attainable for me.

Once at PSC, I started going to the gym to stay in shape to try out for the basketball team, believing I did not have a chance coming from a small school (where I had been a stand-out during my high school career). I started by jogging to the fitness center, not having any idea what I was doing, but feeling the need to stay active in some way while waiting for the November tryouts to come around. Over the next few months, my jogging to the fitness center gained momentum after watching some male athletes run sprints. Eventually, they asked me to join them. My response was, “There’s no way I can keep up with you guys” since they were there to “run” for Plymouth State College. Arty and his friends from Lowell convinced me to join them, and from there, I learned more about myself and how hard things are worth working towards.

Every step became easier over time, and taking that first step towards joining a whole new group of women to try out for a college basketball team became more of a reality than a fantasy. When my name showed up on the roster in the fall of my freshman year, it was then that I realized life is worth running for.

I continued my journey of keeping fit while in college for those four years, mainly for basketball, but also because I enjoyed running in general. After graduating from PSC, I continued to stay in shape with various athletic endeavors, including running. Eventually, I heard about the GSRT running group and was encouraged to join their Tuesday evening workouts in Concord. I started to feel the need to run more to keep up with the Tuesday night crew. At first, running was a habit, but eventually — and to this day — it is “part of who I am.” Running helps keep me focused, which is essential to my job as CEO of a company. It has also afforded me the opportunity to engage with all types of runners and encourage them to believe in themselves. I tell them, “Anyone can do hard things. Baby steps lead to confidence, which leads to habits, which lead to success!”

Patricia Bourgault poses with her medallion from The Eastern States half-marathon event on April 7, 2026, in Hampton, NH. Pat participates in a variety of races throughout the year, including Concord Hospital’s Rock’N Race taking place in May 2026.
Credit: Courtesy

Getting Involved in the Rock’N Race

I lost my mother to cancer at the young age of 69, three months shy of her 70th birthday, on which she was planning to retire. I was devastated by the loss of this incredible woman (who raised 11 children – talk about doing hard things), but I wanted to find a way to give back to the healthcare community for the care they had given her. A few years after her death, a wonderful opportunity, called the Rock‘N Race (RNR), presented itself. Community leaders Steve Duprey, Claudia Walker, and Peter Ellingwood were the masterminds of this new and unique community event, and it was a natural fit for me. I got involved that first year, and 24 years later, I am still on the planning committee.

Back in the early years of the RNR, Concord Eye Center (where I have been the CEO for the past 33 years), was heavily involved with participating and was dedicated to making this a family event. That first year, I won the women’s 5K race, with 600 participants. Over the years, participation had increased to over 5,000 participants (pre-COVID). Today, the race draws around 3,000 participants, comprising both walkers and runners. Each year, we work hard to make this a successful event in our community. I am active in planning and pre-race activities right up to and including race day, and then I step into my running shoes and run it! Each year, when that gun goes off, the emotion and memories of how I got here are still present.

I am forever grateful for my high school passion for basketball, which led me down the road I have run. I have made wonderful friends and connections through the running community, and looking back, I can say that I succeeded simply because I believed in myself and I allowed others to surround me with their passion and belief in me. I took that first step, and you can, too. Everyone can run…it starts with baby steps and belief in yourself.