JW Run Blog 8: Horror

Horror

Boston Marathon 2013

The picture of us before the race is eerie to look at, knowing what was coming. This was a race I almost didn’t get into. After running a qualifying time at Mohawk Hudson in early October 2012, I remember sitting in a Panera with Sharon after the race. I thought to check the Boston Marathon website. They were still accepting applications for the 2013 race, and I signed up right there on my phone. 

 

I actually don’t remember a lot about the race itself except that it was a beautiful day. This was my 4th Boston--2nd as a qualifier--so I felt like I knew the course and could anticipate a little better how I would feel along the way. 

I finished the race and met up with Sharon at the corner of Stuart and Berkeley. I then made my way back to my office at nearby 75 Arlington St. while she went back out to collect more club members. (My office was a place for club members to clean up and recover a bit before heading home.) I was in the lobby of the 75 Arlington building when I heard sirens and helicopters. I remember thinking, “Something’s going on,” but I didn’t know what. I made my way up to my office on the 7th floor. It was there that I heard what had happened. Sharon was still out collecting people at that point. I didn’t know how close she actually was to the bombings until later (she was just one street over from Boylston St.). Earlier in the day, Sharon had a chance to see the mens finishers in the grandstands right on Boylston St. Knowing that she was right there just minutes before it happened was another chilling discovery afterwards.  

Charlotte finished the race right around the time of the bombing and met up with us at 75 Arlington. She was shaken. That was my first visceral indication of just how bad it was. Cell service was all a mess, so it took us a while to figure out that Mike had been diverted before the end of the race. 

We did our usual post-race gathering at a bar in Norwood afterwards, the conversation grim. I had to fly to Denver for a conference at 6:25 AM the following morning, so I came home and went right to bed. When I got to Denver, I went to work setting up our booth for the conference, so it wasn’t until that night in Denver when I first saw video footage of what had happened. I felt so angry. It was so horrible that this would happen at Boston--an event that was aspirational and inspirational. For the rest of the week, it was surreal to be working the booth at the conference and people just wanted to talk about what happened in Boston. And I would say to them, “I was there. I ran it.” I remained in Denver as the dramatic events in Boston unfolded the rest of that week. I really wanted to be home at the time. 

"Joy" Boston Marathon 2014

My finish time at Mohawk Hudson in 2012 got me into two Boston Marathons: 2013 and 2014. I was very grateful to be able to run in 2014 after what happened in 2013. There was a strong feeling among runners in the Boston area that this year’s race would be a celebration of what the race stands for as well as a remembrance of those who had died or were injured. Race day weather was in the 60’s and sunny. Club member Maria’s sister-in-law lives in Hopkinton (where the race begins), and she kindly agreed to host GNRC. Pre-race preparation was always a mix of nervous talk, last-minute fueling, and one last pee. We watched the elites start the race on TV, and it was a rush to see them bolt out down the course. 

Standing in the corral at the beginning of the race is a feeling I remember clearly: all of us there packed together, knowing what this race meant. When we cheered, it was with full hearts. Everyone was grateful to be there. What I remember about the race itself were the cheers along the way. The crowds were extra vocal, feeling as we did the importance of the moment. 

My race went about as I expected, given the warm weather and my fitness level. I suffered in the last 5 miles in particular, but I had a deep well of motivation to draw from. My finish time of 3:43 was not noteworthy, but being a part of that race was.