This is an article I wrote about a week ago now, and though it didn't get officially published, I liked it and wanted to show it off. ;)
36,000 runners. Millions of viewers.
26 miles. One goal.
This is the 118th year the
Boston Marathon has been run. This makes it the world's oldest annual
marathon in existence, and proud tradition for the state of
Massachusetts. Since its founding in 1897, the race has always been
held on Patriots day, the local holiday celebrating the American
Revolutionary Battles of Lexington and Concord. Thus it has always
been a symbol of hope and liberty, and since last year, that symbol
seems to have only grown stronger.
A University of Oregon graduate, Sarah
Lloyd (previously Pearson), participated in the marathon this year,
and in an interview she revealed some of her experience. Running has
been a part of Sarah's life since Middle School PE. “I just did it
to stay in shape and to beat the boys, and I was really good at it,”
she said. She ran for the entirety of her stay at the U of O, until
she graduated in 2008. “Now I like it mainly for the socialization
but also for the fitness.”
Sarah said she had not originally
planned on running the Boston because “in order to qualify, you
have to run another marathon before” and achieve a qualifying time,
or else be accepted on behalf of one of the two dozen or so charities
apart of the event. This is, of course, much easier said than done.
Though Sarah admits she didn't think she would like marathons, she
ended up running the 2013 Eugene Marathon. “It went well,” she
described it, “and I discovered I'm really pretty good at it.”
After running in Eugene, she realized “the Boston Marathon was
really a once in a lifetime thing, especially this year. I mean this
is probably the most historic one ever.” So she ran.
When asked what the experience and
atmosphere was like before and during her time in Massachusetts, she
said, “It was just really celebratory and had a big sense of
community. Boston is a really big place, but they're really close
nit, and especially this year it was all about: 'This is our
marathon. This is our finish line. No one is going to stop us.'”
The sense of unity and solidarity really impacted Sarah, and made the
entire time unforgettable for her.
“Everywhere I went the volunteers
and the medical people would thank me. Because here's the thing, a
lot of people in Boston after last year said, 'what can I do to say
this is my city'. So they said, 'I want to run it', but you can't
just run it... So the only way they could get involved was by
volunteering... so they would tell me, 'Thank you for running because
this gives us an opportunity to contribute.'”
The entire event seemed to be wrapped
around this idea of community, explained Sarah, even more than in the
past. Since everyone has the day off due to the holiday, the city is
packed with spectators, so that all along the 26 miles, the people on
the sidelines were always at least 4-5 people deep. They screamed
encouragement and waved signs the whole way, all participating in
this internationally renowned race. Sarah said the most moving part
of the marathon was the finish line. On the bleachers there sat
“people who had been injured [last year] or family of people who
had died... That was really emotional because I crossed it, I knew it
was really therapeutic for them to see a normal marathon, and to
think 'this is the way it should be.'”
The Boston Marathon was different this
year. It was not simply about being part of a famous race, to which
qualifying for is an accomplishment in of itself. It was a time of
healing and unity. This year was different. It was living out the
saying “when you get kicked off a horse, you have to get right back
on again”. You can't let the fear stop you. You can't stop living
because you got hurt. That's what this year's race was about: Hope,
Determination, and Unity.
“It was kinda like after 9-11,”
Sarah said. “People were like 'ugh, what are we going to do'. Well
the Boston marathon has always been huge, but it was kinda like the
whole world was watching, and seeing what it was going to be like.
And after the last person crossed the finish line, it was just like,
yes, we win'.”
