In 2012 I was writing a fitness column for the Los Angeles Times and regularly covered the subject of running. Since I’d never run a marathon, I decided to make L.A. my first, finishing in 3:52. A friend said, “That’s a good time. You should run Boston.” I looked at the qualifying times and said yeah no. But then some assholes blew it up.
I'm originally from Boston, MA. Despite having not lived there for over 30 years, it still feels like home to me. So much has changed but many things still remain intact from my childhood memories. In 2013, I had already completed 4 half-marathons and was thinking about running a full, and of course, the fantasy of qualifying for Boston.
Then Speedbump and his little brother did what they did. I'd read at the time that not only was 8-year-old blue-eyed Martin one of the victims but that the blast was so intense where he was that there sadly wasn't anything left of him to bury. I cried when I read that.
My friends live in Waltham and they described the lock-down and the tension of the search minute by minute.
The following year, I ran a local HM decked out in my Boston Bruins gear (told you I'm a Boston boy :) ). It was unseasonably hot for mid-April, so my hat was a bad idea, but I didn't care. Our pace time group leader was there in Boston right at the bombing. He'd finished right before the bomb went off but the utter chaos kept him from finding his family for several hours.
Epilogue: I ran the full marathon later that year in 2014. Nowhere near BQ! :)
I live in MA. I planned on going to the marathon that day to watch. I had the day off from work. I realized I had committed to talking to a college class that day, so plans to watch were scuttled. You can bet I was there in 2013 to cheer on friends and strangers and to not let our beloved Patriots Day celebration be marred by assholes. I have been at Kenmore Square or as close to the finish line as I can get ever since - including the year it rained and snowed (and the year my friend came in 10th place.) Thank you for not naming the assholes.
Here is the column I wrote about it for the Chicago Tribune:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-health-0423-fitness-boston-marathon-20140425-story.html
I'm originally from Boston, MA. Despite having not lived there for over 30 years, it still feels like home to me. So much has changed but many things still remain intact from my childhood memories. In 2013, I had already completed 4 half-marathons and was thinking about running a full, and of course, the fantasy of qualifying for Boston.
Then Speedbump and his little brother did what they did. I'd read at the time that not only was 8-year-old blue-eyed Martin one of the victims but that the blast was so intense where he was that there sadly wasn't anything left of him to bury. I cried when I read that.
My friends live in Waltham and they described the lock-down and the tension of the search minute by minute.
The following year, I ran a local HM decked out in my Boston Bruins gear (told you I'm a Boston boy :) ). It was unseasonably hot for mid-April, so my hat was a bad idea, but I didn't care. Our pace time group leader was there in Boston right at the bombing. He'd finished right before the bomb went off but the utter chaos kept him from finding his family for several hours.
Epilogue: I ran the full marathon later that year in 2014. Nowhere near BQ! :)
I live in MA. I planned on going to the marathon that day to watch. I had the day off from work. I realized I had committed to talking to a college class that day, so plans to watch were scuttled. You can bet I was there in 2013 to cheer on friends and strangers and to not let our beloved Patriots Day celebration be marred by assholes. I have been at Kenmore Square or as close to the finish line as I can get ever since - including the year it rained and snowed (and the year my friend came in 10th place.) Thank you for not naming the assholes.