On Monday I woke up with so much excitement to watch the
Boston marathon. I was really excited to
see Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan compete as they are two of my favorite
runners. I also had a couple friends
running and couldn’t wait to follow them.
The Boston marathon is one of the most well-recognized athletic events
in the world, and evokes a huge sense of community, camaraderie, and
patriotism. I know I will never run this
infamous course as I am not remotely fast enough to even come close to
qualifying, but I get such joy from watching the elites and cheering on friends
and strangers.
I followed the elites and was so proud of Shalane and Kara
for taking 4th and 6th respectively on one of the
toughest courses out there. Congrats to
the winners Lelisa Desisa (1st place male) and Rita Jeptoo (1st
place female). I can’t imagine running
26.2 miles in under 2:30! They are
incredible athletes. After the elites, I
went on to follow my friends. They were
kicking butt!
Then the magical day that is Boston turned to tragedy when a
bomb went off at the finish line followed by a second bomb 12 seconds
later. I was at work, and immediately clicked
to CNN.com for live coverage. I couldn’t
believe this was happening. And to top of
it, the last mile was dedicated to the victims of the Newton massacre last
December. I immediately hopped online to
see if my friends were safe, and thankfully they were (so glad they are fast
runners!).
As a runner and having just run my first marathon, and many
races before that, I know that feeling of excitement, relief and accomplishment
when crossing that finish line. That
excitement was stripped of all those runners on Monday, for those who finished
and those who were unable to. I am
horrified by this. My heart breaks for
the people who were killed and injured. Law
enforcement has been unbelievable during this, and the nation as a whole in coming
together to help. Since Monday we have identified
the bombers. One has been killed and law
enforcement is pursuing the second. I
pray they find him.
My heart is with Boston, and I pray that all those affected
by this horrific tragedy find peace and solace.
If you’d like to donate, please go to OneFundBoston.org. Boston Stands As One!
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