The marathon excitement started long before I even bought my plane ticket....
Last summer, my friends Peter and Melissa told me that for the last few years they have run Boston Marathon for a charity but this year they would be taking the time off, they needed someone to take their place and said that I could be that someone. I was beyond stoked, and honestly a bit skeptical... I didn't qualify for Boston, but it had always been a dream of mine, so I tried really hard not to get excited, just in case... But, true to their word, they hooked me up with the Michael Lisnow Respite Center Marathon team coordinator. I read the team handbook and submitted the application. Two days later I got an email saying that I was in and could register for the Boston Marathon! The only catch was, I had to pay $310 for registration and then raise $4000 for the Respite Center. Knowing it was a worthy cause and that I know a ton of good hearted people, I took the challenge and immediately set up my website and began fundraising. I solicited Facebook, those I work with, my friends and family. I sold cans of soda from Sams Club for a dollar and I asked everyone to start saving aluminum cans for me. By the time I boarded my plane for Boston, I had raised $5020!!
At the Marathon expo, there were tens of thousands of people so excited to be there, and I kind of felt like a cheater, I didn't run fast, I didn't have a qualifying time, I didn't deserve to be there. I quietly got my packet and wandered around all the booths, only buying a patch to commemorate the experience. I went back to our friends' house feeling a lot of apprehension.
Later that afternoon was the BBQ for the Respite Center, I got to meet the 95 other respite team runners and the families who used the Respite Services. The kids did a song in sign language for us and everyone was so thankful for us running for them, I was just thankful they let me! Everyone from the center and in the town of Hopkington, MA were so genuinely nice and welcoming, I forgot about my nerves and was just excited to be there. These people didn't care how fast I ran, they were just thankful that I was willing to put in the effort to help keep their non-profit organization going. The only way I was going to let them down at this point was if I never started at all. I left with a lighter spirit, ready to take on Boston!
The night before the marathon, we stayed with Peter's aunt and uncle, Isabel and Don, who lived only blocks from the start line. Isabel made us dinner and I was convinced that she had mistaken the fact that were in the Army and thought that we were bringing an Army! There was so much delicious food and great conversation over beer, we lost track of time and when we noticed it was late, Aunt Isabel shooed us off to bed. Since the marathon didn't start until 1000, we got to sleep in until 0600.
Early the next morning Uncle Don drove us to the Respite Center, which was only 2 blocks from the start line. They had breakfast waiting for us. Most of the runners for Team Respite were there getting ready for the big day. We were all in our red Team Respite tshirts, stretching and prepping. Everyone was sharing their strategies and marathon experiences. A few of the girls were writing our names on our shirts, something I've never done and didn't really understand, they said "trust me, you'll be glad we did," I let them do as they wished. At 0900, the opening ceremony began on TV and we all gathered around and watched, getting more excited. We took our group photo out front of the respite center, and walked to the start line as the staff cheered us on.
It was chilly standing around, a brisk 47 degrees. We watched as Wave 2 took off and then filed into our corrals. Our wave was to start at 1040, over an hour after the elite females sprinted down the course. The announcer took a minute to explain that most of the 9,000 runners in Wave 3 were charity runners and stated that this year, over 6 million dollars had been raised by us. It was right then that I felt I deserved to be there. Perhaps little ol' Reen didn't qualify, and maybe the 8,999 other people standing all around me didn't either. Maybe $5020 isn't much, but the big picture suddenly became clear. A combined effort of all these people had made a significant difference and I was doing my part simply by being the change I wanted to see in the world. I don't have $5020 to donate to a good cause, but what I do have is two strong legs and the courage to do what I can. I got pumped! Now I was really ready to take on Boston! I wasn't feeling tired or unsure anymore, I wanted to get to that finish line and see the people I came here to help! I heard someone yell my name to my right and turned and there was Don and Isabel and all the kids from the Respite Center in their black tshirts that matched mine, I waved and they cheered.
The gun went off and we shuffled forward. I put my phone on airplane mode to save the battery, turned on my music and trotted off. There were so many people cheering and it didn't let up, at mile marker two I gave up on the music and turned it off. There were hoards of people, cheering and high fiving, I just ran on by. People were cheering me on by name, suddenly it made sense why they had written it on my shirt! At about mile 3, the crowd of runners thinned out as we all eased into our pace, I found myself hugging the right side of the trail, as I stopped to walk for a minute at each mile marker, so I was right along the crowd of spectators. I couldn't resist and what Peter had said before the race started was stuck in my head "you aren't winning that race, so don't worry about your time, enjoy the course," so I started high fiving every hand that was sticking out waiting for one. Every time I fived a hand the kids cheered louder. I was so busy high fiving, I didn't even notice the miles go by! At mile 6, a group of college guys gave me a solo cup full of delicious cold beer (Sam Adams, Boston Lager I think) and a few hugs for actually stopping to drink some with then. At mile 8, I stopped for a bathroom break and noticed my time was quicker than I anticipated. I thought about slowing down to conserve energy, but I felt awesome so decided to just do what felt comfortable. I continued on, high fiving away and hardly even noticed when I hit the halfway point. All the Wellesley College girls were holding their signs for kisses and cheering so loud, I had to give one or two a peck on the cheek! I was making excellent time and was feeling strong.
At mile 17 I was beginning to feel tired, but my time showed I wasn't slowing down and the energy of the crowd wasn't either. The "hilly" part of the course had begun, Heartbreak Hill, but I run the mountains of El Paso 3 times a week, so I didn't even notice the slight incline. On the way up, at mile marker 20, the hashers were waiting with cups of beer. I stopped and had one and dropped my long sleeve shirt, the weather could not have been better for running, it was nice and cool with a breeze, but warm in the sunshine. I had another cup of beer and headed along on my way. I had planned to hang out there longer, but I was on pace to set a PR, I had to go! As I ran past Boston College, there was a line of drunken college kids cheering louder than any other section. The barriers were hardly containing them and there was a straight two miles of high fives and college kids cheering my name. It was as if I was soaking up their energy thru the high fives, I didn't even notice the mile marker and didn't stop for my walking break, then before I knew it I was at mile marker 23! According to my watch, I had an hour and 20 minutes to complete the last 3.2 and still set a Personal Record!
I, once again, stopped to use the bathroom and took my phone off airplane mode to let Brandon know that I was "at mile 23, feeling wicked awesome, here comes a PR!" My phone was attacked by a barrage of texts, voicemail alerts, and Facebook alerts, i didn't have the time to read then, so I closed them all out and continued to run. At mile 24, I texted Brandon to find out which side of the course to run on to cross the finish so he could snap a photo when I noticed his last three texts "there were two explosions, call me," "call me NOW, please," "CALL ME!!" I attempted to call and the phone wouldn't even ring. With no time frame of when those texts and calls came thru, mid marathon and about to set a PR, I figured it would be quicker to just run to him.
I tucked my phone away again and headed, as fast as I could, to the finish line. I crossed the 40k mat at 4:31:00 and charged on. As I rounded mile 25, I noticed everyone on their cell phones, spectators, the cops, and other runners. Still not sure what was going on, I headed forward. I came to a sign that said "1 mile left!" and the crowds were getting thicker, it smelled like smoke. I jogged forward while I pulled my phone out. I tried to call Brandon again while I ran, but it wouldn't go thru. I held on to my phone and turned the ringer up, my phone was lighting up with texts and voicemails and Facebook notifications, but no calls coming in or going out. At 25.5, a fellow respite runner "Crazy Jeff," with no medal on came running toward me and said that the finish line was "shut down, there have been explosions." I asked what we should do and he said "I don't know, I'm waiting here." We were below the underpass and I was so close to the finish that I decided to keep going just in case he was just teasing me. I jogged along for another quarter of a mile until I saw men in uniform and full bomb gear carrying M4s breaking thru the barricades. I stopped, I knew then that Brandon's text wasn't referring to an explosion of runners finishing and that Crazy Jeff wasn't kidding.
I had just passed a major intersection at CharlesGate and Boylston. There was a giant statue and I decided to go stand by it and try to find Brandon. No calls would go thru, I had to rely on text to contact him, which was difficult with all the notifications of the texts and Facebook messages that kept popping up. In an attempt to reduce the number of notifications so that I could use my phone, I posted a Facebook status update letting people know I had no idea what was going on, but that I was alive among the chaos; it only resulted in a new assault on my phone including phone calls and back to back texts, rendering my phone useless. I decided to stay put, hoping Brandon would find me. As I looked around, it was evident that everyone else was just as confused as me. Everyone seemed scared, but calm, there were hundreds of people and a few were crying, but I didn't see any hysteria. Brandon had been only a tenth of a mile from the blasts, waiting for me until the explosions happened, then his concern grew and ran backward down the course to find me. My phone suddenly rang, Allison's call had come thru. I answered and was really glad she didn't ask for any information, because I had no idea what was going on, she was just glad I was okay and asked if she should try to call Brandon or my Mom. As I was talking to her, Brandon finally saw me at the statue and ran toward me, Allison's call was dropped. We immediately headed to our car where we sat and returned calls and texts and listened to the radio to find out what was going on.
I was hungry and thirsty and cramping, but safe in the confines of our rental car. I have never run such a great marathon, the energy was incredible. I have never done so well at a marathon and I was still proud of myself. I was disappointed to not be able to finish, but I have never been so happy to be in the last wave or to be a slow runner. I am so thankful that I got to raise the money and come adventure Boston and run the race that has been a life dream of mine. I am humbled by the people who sponsored me and the strangers that took us in here. I am sad for the 179 people and the families of those who did not have the joyous experience that I did. This was a once in a lifetime experience that I'm fine with leaving as-is. As horrific as the attacks on the marathon were, I have no doubt that Boston and the whole running community will not let a few terrorists win, we will outrun the tragedy and run for their memory.
"I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we're all cowards." -Alberto Salazar
