Monday, April 28th, 2008
I ran the Boston Marathon
So I ran in the Boston Marathon last week. Wow. There were over 20,000 runners. This, in itself, is quite amazing. It’s not like most other marathons I’ve run where it’s a bit crowded at first but after a few miles the pack thins out and you have a bit of breathing room and after 10 or 15 miles the pack is very thin and it may even seem like you are running with just a few others. No, in Boston, I think that I could have touched 4 other runners at any point in what for me was a 3 hour and 16 minute event.
What was more amazing than this dense pack of 20,000 runners (and more thrilling) was the simple and glorious fact that the course was almost swallowed by hundreds of thousands of spectators, fans, and volunteers. Running 20 miles in a training run is hard. It’s hard because it might feel a bit lonely, a bit long, and a bit anticlimactic. Compared to the 20 mile training run, 26.2 miles at Boston is a breeze. Instead of doing it alone, it’s as if you are on a team with hundreds of thousands of other people. There are hoards of people passing out water and Gatorade and Gu. There are small children, lined up a various spots, who are bouncing up and down hoping that you will give them a high five on your way by. There are the families who have brought buckets of bananas and orange slices who will jog alongside you for a few yards to offer some encouraging words and a handful of fruit. There are the thousands after thousands of people who are screaming your name or your number with exuberance and delight. There are vast groups of college students who have painted their faces or their stomachs with things like, “You can do it”, “Run, Forrest, Run”, and “Pick up the Pace.” All of you have the same purpose – to get you 26.2 miles as fast as possible.
There’s a great picture here, I think. All of these people working together for a common goal, invested in the success of another (even a stranger.) If I could bring the Boston experience to everyday life, I’d like to be the guy handing out the proverbial Gu to my neighbors and coworkers and friends. I’d like to be that kid who’s cheering at the top of his lungs and hoping for a high 5. I’d like people feel so supported and loved that even the most difficult challenges feel a bit easier.
That would be sweet.
Nick Zerwas
outsideallday.com Contributor
on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 7:53 am:
Nice job Nick!
on Monday, May 26th, 2008 at 1:11 pm:
Your mom told me about this article – very cool…and very well said! Congrats again on this awesome accomplishment!