Running for Boston
Posted on April 24, 2013 No Comments
“I will run tonight with sadness. I will run tonight with hope. I will run to honor those who no longer can. I will run quietly through my streets. I will run and reflect. I will run without fear. I will run.”
That was my Facebook status on April 16, as I digested the news from Boston.
I have been a runner for more than 15 years. This awful tragedy touched me deeply. Not only because I’m currently training for the 2013 Chicago Marathon, but because, like many runners, I felt personally that MY community was attacked. I just kept thinking about all the finish lines that people I love have stood near, waiting with open arms for me, no matter how good or how poorly I performed. I’ll never be fast enough for Boston, no, but on another day, in another city… The thought is too horrible to bear.
Not much is left to say that other writers haven’t already covered. But I thought as a sign of support and resiliance, I would share some pictures from our local Run for Boston, held Monday in Oak Park, Ill. We had between 60 and 75 runners, most decked out in blue and yellow, running through the streets of our town, behind our local Boston finishers. We held a moment of silence for the victims, then, with steadfast resolve, took our grief to the streets. I loved that cars driving through the town stopped and honked, waved, and shouted their support. The sense of community, of support, and trust, was overwhelming.
Here’s all I could fit in my iPhone camera, before we hit the streets.
And here are the ribbons the local running store made for our shoes.
You can see a few more pictures on our local newspaper’s web site. We had more than 60 runners, the town next to us had 300, and apparently downtown Chicago’s runs were packed too. I hope some of the love and support we were sending eventutally made it over to Boston.
In addition to taking over the streets, I also made a donation to one of the victims, Jeff Bauman. For some reason I was just drawn to his photo immediately on the day of the bombings. I knew his condition was bad, and I was praying for him to make it. My cousin later sent this fundraising link over because she’s somehow in his network. His story later turned out to be even more remarkable given that he was able to wake up and identify the suspects. I will continue to pray for his recovery and that of all the people injured that day.
I also plan to support The One Fund. It’s wonderful that they’ve already surpassed $20 million; health care is not cheap and certainly most of those injuries we’ve heard about will need a lot of follow-up care and rehabilitation.
Category: Life
Tags: boston , Fitness , running
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