For the marathon’s executive director, Jennifer Edwards, the race is about helping others.

It may come as a surprise that for Big Sur Marathon Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Edwards, the April 27 race will be her first along the rugged coast.

She can, however, provide a pretty good excuse. For the past 15 years, Edwards has been directing the Falmouth Road Race, a 7-miler on Cape Cod that attracts some of the world’s top distance runners. She has also served on the team overseeing the Boston Marathon and other races.

So despite this being her first involvement with the Big Sur International Marathon, Edwards is particularly suited to the position. “It’s at the same scale as Falmouth,” she observes. “And I’m well-versed in the logistics, the pre-planning.”

As one might expect, there is quite a bit of effort behind the marathon and its shorter races (a relay, a 21-mile, an 11-mile and a 12 and 5K, in addition to the full-distance 26.2-mile race). The event brings in 5,000 runners, relies on hundreds of volunteers and shuts down Highway 1, among other things.

It is also a charitable organization, raising money for almost 100 local nonprofits. Since BSMF was founded in 1986, it has contributed $6.4 million to area groups.

Given her experience with distance races, it may also come as a surprise that Edwards’ first career had nothing to do with running. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a graduate degree in speech and language pathology, spending 18 years as a speech pathologist.

Edwards took the role as BSMF’s first executive director over the winter.

Weekly: You were a speech pathologist. Did you like The King’s Speech?

Edwards: Oh my gosh, so much. It made me cry, it was so good. People don’t know what we do. It’s really complex. It was a great career.

Then one day I was volunteering in my son’s class – second grade – and a person came up to me and said she had just become head of the Falmouth Road Race and needed volunteers.

I was going to ask how you ended up in running.

Everybody always asks. I’ve run in races, I’ve volunteered at races and I’ve been a spectator. It’s harder to be a spectator than a runner. You’re standing there and a crowd of runners comes by and you’re trying to pick out the ones you are there to support. The longest I’ve run is seven miles.

Do you still run?

I don’t run. I like to say that someone has to run the race so others can run the race. I have back issues. But if I can’t do it, I want to be a part of it. It brings me joy. Race day is like Christmas. You get to meet runners at the finish line. There are so many stories. We do this for them.

It’s a niche position. Who says, “I want to be a race director when I grow up?”

Nobody does that [laughs]. But what a rewarding opportunity. For me to be sitting here right now is surreal. One month ago I was at my desk in Falmouth and it was cold. I had to scrape snow off my car. Here I get out more. And my face isn’t frozen.

My job is to bring awareness of the Big Sur Marathon Foundation as a nonprofit organization to the community. I’m engaging with as many groups as I can. We are more than a race. The foundation is the umbrella. We host the marathon, the half marathon, the mountain bike races at Palo Corona – two as fundraisers. My job is to make sure all of it comes together. We make an impact. We just gave $50,000 to the American Red Cross in response to the L.A. wildfires. Because of the race, we’re able to do this.

But fundamentally, it is still a race.

You don’t run this course for time. You run it for the experience. With the elevation, the wind – if there’s a headwind you’re not going to get a [personal record time]. But you’re going to have the time of your life. There is no other course this beautiful. It’s a top-five bucket list race. That’s part of why I came.

Other than Big Sur Marathon, what did you know about Monterey County before you got here?

Absolutely nothing. Sometimes I would see golf on TV. That’s really it. The cost of living – that’s an adjustment. But look at what you’re getting. I’m in constant awe. I felt like part of a family as soon as I walked through the door – although gas in the mid fives?

BIG SUR INTERNATIONAL MARATHON 6:45am Sunday, April 27. Starting at Big Sur Station, 47555 Highway 1, Big Sur. 21-Mile starts 6:30am from Andrew Molera State Park, Big Sur. 11-Mile starts 7am from Grimes Ranch, Big Sur. 12K and 5K start 7:35am from Rio Road, Carmel. All races finish at the intersection of Highway 1 and Rio Road in Carmel. bigsurmarathon.org