For elite, amateur, and recreational runners, The Boston
Marathon is a rite of passage, a distinct honor that runners who qualify to run
or run for charity purposes will cherish forever. Monday, the horrific attack at The Boston
Marathon overshadowed the accomplishment for some and completely took away the
opportunity for others. Qualifying
runners and charity runners alike spend countless months training for a race
like The Boston Marathon. They pour in
hours of sweat, hard work, determination, and for some, fundraising, to be able
to board the school buses that take them out to the start line in Hopkinton. Along the iconic route, runners encounter all
the things that make this race so revered, famed, and memorable - the downhill
first half of the course, “Screech Tunnel” at Wellesley College, the Newtown
Fire Station, a statue of salute to Johnny Kelley who ran 61 Boston Marathons,
the infamous Heartbreak Hill, cookouts with thousands of college students at Boston
College, the notorious Citgo sign noting 1 mile left to go, and ultimately the
feeling of excitement that overwhelms runners when they make the final left
hand turn onto Boylston Street with thousands of people screaming in support and
admiration. In an instant Monday, the
pain and gratification of running 26.2 miles was taken away by a cowardly and
hideous act of violence, and replaced by dismay and a different type of pain
for everyone in Boston and across the country.
Unless you live under a rock, everyone knows who Peyton
Manning, Alex Rodriguez, and LeBron James are, but hardly anyone in the United
States, or world for that matter, has ever heard of the two winners of The
Boston Marathon on Monday. You won’t
catch national sports networks devoting hours to covering marathons and
endurance events like you would the Super Bowl or March Madness. In local sporting news, endurance events are
briefly covered and might get a segment on the 6 o’clock news or an article in
the newspaper, but are soon after forgotten by the general public. Monday however, at the site of the world’s
most renowned running event in the world, a marathon was center stage in the
world for the most unfortunate reason. Distance
running and endurance events are not main stream sporting news, and the
athletes that pursue these endeavors are not looking for the recognition and
limelight of stardom, yet they push themselves to often unthinkable boundaries
for the satisfaction of personal triumph.
It’s not only for personal satisfaction that some runners and endurance
athletes compete in a marathon or event.
For some competitors, they choose to compete to raise awareness and
funds for causes such as cancer research, wounded soldier support, hunger
initiatives, and the list goes on and on.
They make calls and send out e-mails to family members and friends,
knock on doors of strangers, and have fundraisers to raise money for charities
that are close to their heart. Every
year, millions of dollars are raised in endurance events across the world to
support charities. The people who participate
in honor of those charities are special individuals who don’t receive the
notoriety they deserve and often times they don’t want the recognition, they
just want to do their part to make a difference. Every year, the runners in the last starting
corral of The Boston Marathon are those who gained entry into the race by
raising enough money to support their charity.
Monday, the majority of those runners didn’t even get a chance to
fulfill those promises they made to the donors because of this unthinkable act
of violence.
Personally, I am in complete shock, heartache, and amazement
by what took place on Monday in Boston.
Marathons and endurance events aren’t just something that I do by myself
and for myself. Of course I enjoy them
and the training involved, but I also compete in them because my friends do
them. I enjoy the camaraderie and
friendly competition that a marathon or triathlon encompasses, and while I am
out there to get the best out of myself, I also want the best for my friends
and competitors. I don’t have a wife or
children, but a lot of my friends do, and I’ve seen how events like The Boston
Marathon or an Ironman requires an entire family and friend “support network”
along the way. Long hours are spent
training for events like these, often taking the person preparing for the race away
from home for hours upon hours just to make it to the start line prepared, and
it takes a whole family’s commitment. Once
event day rolls around, the whole “support network” of family and friends can
celebrate the accomplishment of their spouse, mother, father, son, daughter,
friend, co-worker, etc. Monday’s tragedy
didn’t injure any runner directly, but it did injure the “support network”,
wounding and killing friends, family members, and complete strangers that were
standing on Boylston Street to celebrate the accomplishments of the
runners. Locally, a coach and member of
the Charlotte running and triathlon community, and her family were there to
support a family member and they were severely hurt during the attack. While I don’t know personally know them, the
outpouring of love and well wishes from the community in Charlotte praying for
their quick recoveries and asking what they can do to help just shows the true
support that everyone needs in times like these. Whether you participate in events or are just
there to watch and cheer on friends or a family member, we have all at one time
been a part of that “support network” that was attacked on Monday.
