A Dartmouth woman decided not just to go big or go home for her first-ever marathon, she chose to go as big as possible.

Maggie Rocha, 29, who also serves as a dispatcher for Dartmouth Police, ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, with a time of 5:45.1.

A casual 5K and 10K runner, Rocha had run the New Bedford Half Marathon when she realized she wanted to run a marathon before turning 30. On a whim, she decided to apply to participate in the marathon through the Massachusetts General Hospital Emergency Response Team, and was accepted in late October.

“I just took a shot, honestly,” Rocha said.

She helped raise $7,000 for the organization, which was founded in 2013 after the Boston Marathon bombing. It is a disaster preparedness team dedicated to providing aid in any kind of crisis.

Rocha began training in November. She worked the midnight shift at the police station, so running 18 to 25 miles a week while getting 4 to 5 hours of sleep per day proved to be a grueling task. However, she put her own spin on prescribed workouts and kept up with her training until she switched to the day shift in March.

Though the Boston Marathon itself was no walk in the park, Rocha was determined to enjoy her experience. She was happy with her time, particularly since she was working against injuries and had experienced a lot of pain during the event.

“Not so much [pain] that a smile didn’t help,” Rocha said, crediting the onlookers and supporters watching the race with helping her finish. Without the support of the crowds, she would not have been able to do it, she said.

The marathon also gave something positive for her family to focus on, Rocha said. Her father, Richard, underwent two open heart surgeries, and her family has experienced some stressful times recently, so she sought to give them something positive that they could focus on. Rocha credits her father as her "motivation to run."

But would she do it all again?

“On Monday night, I said no,” Rocha laughed. However, she’s excited by the prospect of participating in the future, though she would like to qualify rather than fundraise her way in. Additionally, she’d like to make some healthier changes including being more diligent in her recovery to prevent future injuries.

Her colleagues at the Dartmouth Police Department were quite proud as well. A post on the department's Facebook page about Rocha has received more than 200 "likes."