Fiancé of slain DC runner, Daniel Hincapie will run the Boston Marathon in her memory

It’s been nearly six months since 35-year-old Wendy Martinez was attacked and stabbed to death while on a run near Logan Circle.

Her death left her family heartbroken, and it left DC’s running community in disbelief.

“She really took running seriously, and she was very competitive. And one of her dreams was actually to run the Boston Marathon,” said Daniel Hincapie, who proposed to Martinez exactly one week before her murder in September of 2018.

In a matter of days, he went from planning a wedding to planning a funeral.

Martinez went for a run on the night of September 18. She was in Northwest Washington’s Logan Circle neighborhood, where she and Hincapie lived, when she was fatally stabbed in what police have called a random attack. The man charged in Martinez’ murder was found competent to stand trial just last week.

Through it all, Hincapie said he finds strength in memories shared with Martinez. He says it was running that first brought them together.

He was preparing to run his first half marathon, and a mutual friend asked Martinez to give Hincapie some tips.

“She literally came and said hello and dropped off a printout with some tips, and she left some notes on it,” he said. “I kept that printout and told her it was her first love letter.”

On the day of that race, he says Martinez completed the course much faster than he did. Then, she stood in the rain and waited for him at the finish line. Hincapie smiles as he thinks back to that day.

On April 15, he plans to run the Boston Marathon in Martinez’ honor, fulfilling the dream she never got to finish.

“I only started training a few weeks ago, so it’s a little challenging to get back on track. It probably isn’t going to be my fastest race, but I’m going to run it with my heart,” he said. “And my goal, and what I know I’m going to accomplish, is to cross that finish line together with her. Just raising our hands and crossing that finish line. She’ll be right there with me.”

Hincapie’s marathon run will also raise money for the Wendy Martinez Legacy Project.

posted Tuesday March 12th