When Peggy Shaw moved to Hopkinton 11 years ago, she wasn’t thinking about running the Boston Marathon, but like other Hopkinton runners being around the marathon she felt like she wanted to be a part of it.

“I know so many people who live here that get in the spirit to run because they are so exposed to it,” Shaw said.

This will be Shaw’s second time running the marathon, and her first time running for the newly formed Hopkinton Public Library Foundation.

To Shaw, the library is more than just a place to get reading material; it’s a gathering place for the community. She said when she found out she had an opportunity to raise money for the library expansion project she knew it was the right thing to do.

“I was planning on running the Providence Marathon but when I found out I had a chance to run the Boston Marathon instead, I was ecstatic,” Shaw said.

“The library expansion isn’t about making room for books. It’s about making room for people and workshops.”

Shaw said there are all kinds of pros and cons to running the marathon, and for her, the crowd tops both categories.

“One of the problems I had was getting up to speed because of the large amount of people at the start,” Shaw said. “But because of all the people running there are people cheering the whole way, which is really motivating.”

If you’re interested in helping Shaw meet her fundraising goal for the Library Foundation you can visit http://hopkintonpubliclibraryfoundation.org/hplf-events/2012-boston-marathon/peggy-shaw/.