National Braille Press (NBP) has announced that Payton Maley of Medfield is one of the five runners in its team to participate in the 130th Boston Marathon® presented by Bank of America. Payton and other runners are raising money to support braille literacy.
The runners are supporting NBP’s mission to provide braille materials to blind and visually impaired children and adults. A book in braille costs three times more to produce than a book in print does. The funds that are raised through the 130th Boston Marathon team, help maintain access and equality to braille materials for the blind and visually impaired. The 2026 National Braille Press runners are:
- Payton Maley, Medfield, MA
- Jack Chen, Princeton, NJ
- Alejandra Lagos Villarreal, New York, NY
- Anne Beveridge, Aberdeen, Scotland
- Roz Kelley, Newark, NJ
Payton Maley of Medfield is a 17-year-old and will be 18 years old when she runs the marathon. She will be the youngest runner of the 130th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America and is currently a senior at the Noble and Greenough School.
She has a special connection to NBP, as she is the daughter of George Maley, who is a former NBP trustee. Running the marathon has always been a dream of hers ever since seeing her father run for NBP. She plays many sports in high school, such as soccer, lacrosse, and crew, and has always enjoyed running as part of conditioning for these sports.
In 2024 Payton received her scuba certification and completed a 4-mile ocean swim this past December. Earlier last year, Payton took part in a study abroad semester in the Bahamas. Here she would train every morning at 6am with a run and a swim, making this her favorite running experience to date.
She has always enjoyed working with NBP through her family and says, “I have always loved working with children and being able to help kids with visual impairment have access to books would be awesome!”
(The above article was submitted for publication by the National Braille Press.)
