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I attended the Boston Marathon today to cheer on the runners and soak up the excitement of what I know is a life-changing moment for many. We settled on a great spot at mile 10 right by the Elvis impersonator so we could dance and sing as we cheered. We excitedly held up our signs and shouted our best wishes to the runners passing by. The Boston Marathon is a day of profound inspiration.
Shortly upon arriving I spot Team Hoyt coming down the course. What timing! Team Hoyt is a famous father-and-son duo who has run well over 1,000 races. Dick Hoyt's son Rick was born a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. The Team Hoyt racing legacy started after their first 5 mile race when Rick said to his Dad, “When I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.” Dick has since pushed his son in his wheelchair through every race imaginable across the country including marathons and several Ironmans. To see this vision of pure love and inspiration cruising past us was nothing short of overwhelming. Oh what a man can do when he lets nothing stand in his way.
We were then excitedly searching for Tara Damiani, my good friend’s niece and Real Life Biggest Loser. She signed up for the Boston Marathon after losing 80 pounds through hard work and dedication. Suddenly, there she was! Tara, sailing down the course, all smiles. She spotted us and stopped for a giant hug as we all screamed in excitement, our hats and sunglasses flying off of our heads. Again, we found ourselves overwhelmed with inspiration. Oh what a woman can do when she lets nothing stand in her way.
A little later at a water stop we found ourselves chatting with a man with a shirt that read, “Guide.” Guides run with people who need assistance on the course. He was running alongside a man with severe autism. The runner with autism silently motioned his guide that it was time to get going and off they went. Oh what a man can do when he lets nothing stand in his way.
We cheered on blind runners, elderly runners, runners with amputated limbs, wheelchair bound runners, runners of all shapes and sizes. These people don’t know about excuses, they don’t know about quitting. All they know is hope.
I hope that the events that followed on this day don’t dash the hopes of anyone who is brave enough to dream huge. The heroes of this day are the runners who faced a task that most never will, the first responders to this unthinkable tragedy, and the city of Boston, it stands tall.
We’ll see you next year at the Boston Marathon, because oh what we can do when we let nothing stand in our way.
This post is dedicated to anyone that was harmed during the events of 4/15/13.
