Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Yesterday was supposed to be a great day for me and my family.
My brother was running his first Boston Marathon. I have completed the marathon twice, most recently last year, and had given him the best advice I could on what is widely-considered one of the most challenging courses in the world. I was unable to run this year due to an injury, but I love the excitement of the race and had to be a part of it.
I decided to wait at the top of Heartbreak Hill on the Boston College campus, around the 21st mile marker. I knew from experience that this is the point of the race where runners are most defeated. The last five miles are the longest you will ever run. My plan was to jump in with my brother and run him in the final five miles while encouraging the crowd to cheer him and the other runners on.
The level of support from the people on all sides of the 26 mile journey is simply astounding. Seeing perfect strangers cheer you on as if you are family reassures me on this tragic day that humanity always prevails over evil. As my brother and I ran through Boston College, Brighton, Brookline and Kenmore Square, I used my energy to get the crowd to cheer on the rest of the runners who clearly didn’t have much left in the tank.
As we took the right onto Hereford Street and the left onto Boylston Street, the crowd noise was overwhelming. I videotaped the entire thing as we ran towards the finish together and crossed the finish line. In hindsight, it is terrifying that I was likely running by two loaded bombs.
Even though I didn’t run the whole marathon, they still gave me a medal and my brother and I met up with our family for some much-needed food at the Prudential Center food court, which overlooks the 26th mile mark. I heard the first bomb go off and many seemed to not think much of it.
Then we all heard the second, which was directly across the street from us. We saw the smoke and the people running away screaming and crying. A mob scene ensued inside the food court when tables and chairs were overturned as the masses ran away.
There was mass confusion as to what happened. People all over were asking each other questions and rumors were spreading. We began to walk as far away as we could. We ran into a man named Lawrence from Edmonton, Alberta. He asked us where we got our bags from, and when we told him the finish he said he was going back there.
We assumed he was confused and I asked him if he heard what had happened. I was surprised when he calmly told us that he was 30 yards from the blast. The man was clearly shell-shocked, and we gave him a blanket, some food, and my medal, since he deserved it a lot more than I did.
My favorite part about the encounter was when I briefly mentioned the Edmonton Oilers to him, and his face lit up. Despite everything that had happened, the idea of talking about NHL hockey immediately perked his spirits.
Sports are more than just games. They are something for people to rally around. I was speechless after watching the Chicago Blackhawks fans stand and sing the National Anthem last night. I was moved when the New York Yankees agreed to play “Sweet Caroline” in honor of Boston. I nearly came to tears when I saw the cover of the Chicago Tribune, which was headlined with “Chicago Bruins, Chicago Red Sox, Chicago Celtics, Chicago Patriots.”
The people of Boston were symbolically attacked on Patriots Day. As Bruins commentator Jack Edwards once said on this great day of celebration, “234 years ago a bunch of ragtag farmers stood up against the greatest fighting force in the world.”
The people of Boston will not be scared. We will run the race again next year without fear, and we will rally around the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, and Boston Red Sox because they represent us. That is what defines us as Bostonians.
Feel free to share your thoughts on the Boston Marathon below to keep the conversation going.
Aidan Kearney has more videos from the race on his blog aidanfromworcester.com. Follow him on Twitter @aidanfromworc
