April in Massachusetts, specifically Patriots Day Weekend in Massachusetts, which also means it's another Boston Marathon Weekend in Massachusetts, and that means there's a lot to celebrate, reflect on, and offer up a boatload of gratitude for, because we're all still healthy and together, and able to enjoy the experience.
This year's Marathon festivities carried with them an added emphasis on the gratitude and reflection points, as it marked the 10 year anniversary of when the Boylston Street Finish Line of the race was attacked by a pair of cowards who tried to strike terror at the heart of Boston celebratory institution.
The somber deference to the event was palpable as you walked along the pedestrian-only Boylston Street on Saturday. And the Dick's Sporting Goods sign that loomed over the Finish Line really captured the resilience of a running nation, along with all of their supporters, friends and family members.
Running Boston does, truly, Change You.
Never more so than on Monday, April 15, 2013, a few minutes shy of 3 p.m. when several members of the E Streeters - more than half a dozen of us - had just logged mileage as part of the 26.2 mile course when the first bomb went off. It was Andrew's first marathon, making it feel even more impactful. All of our family members, who were watching us all finish from various nearby locations, all thankfully escaped injury, due to a series of not-so-small miracles.
So this year, Andrew and I, along with many others, felt we needed to make the trek in to the final stretch along Boylston Street to pay our respects and reflect back on that unforgettable April 2013 Monday.
It started, as if often does, with an invigorating run around Boston proper, paying our running respects, to among other locales, Arthur Fiedler's bust, the half-shell, the Longfellow Bridge, the Museum of Science, and the Boston Common.
The running done, we connected with Katie, who was logging her own miles around Boston, just missing the mega-crowds at the BAA 5K nearby.
To say we invested a tad in the local economy would be an understatement, but we were more than happy to support some of the sports businesses in the blocks that surround the Finish Line.
Even though we weren't running this year ourselves, it's always a fun experience to wander through the Expo at the Hynes Convention Center, and who was there to greet us coming off the escalator?
37-Boston-Marathons-In-A-Row himself, Scott Graham!
Back out on Boylston Street, we stopped for some quick pics
at the most historic finish line in running lore.
From there, we paid our respects at the two sites of the explosions, each of them adorned with daffodils and flanked by members of the Boston Fire Department Honor Guard.
The ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of the attacks was a few minutes away, but we were able to connect with one of the men who became the face of leadership for the city of Boston and law enforcement everywhere during the crisis, then-Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.
Ed, as regular readers of this blog knows, is a colleague from way back in the days when ye blogger was a cub newspaper reporter, and later the Communications Director for the Lowell Police Department when Davis was Superintendent.
Davis emerged as the voice of calm for his community, pledging all of the resources of law enforcement to find the terrorists and bring them to justice, along with state and federal law enforcement agencies. His calm, intentional leadership earned him accolades nationwide, and propelled him into the spotlight during one of the most intense manhunts in our nation's history.
On this gorgeous Saturday afternoon, after meeting with families whose lives were touched by the tragedy, Davis stood outside the Boston Public Library speaking with a steady stream of Bostonians and beyond who wanted to thank him for his leadership during the crisis.
Finally, on Marathon Monday itself - a rainy outing this April - Jack, myself and Andrew joined with Heather and her friends Tom and Lauren to cheer runners on along the course, in this case, at Mile 23 in Brookline.
Once again, Andrew and I logged a few miles of our own before the leaders came past. No crowds for our run, but that would change in just a short while.
Our own mileage recorded, we got in place on both sides of Beacon Street to lend our voices to the cacophony of cheers supporting the runners.
Here's the eventual women's winner passing by
Former champ Des Linden, who didn't notch a win this day, still looked in terrific form as she bulleted past Heather, Tom and Lauren.
Jack, Andrew and I were even able to squeeze a frat party into our busy day!
A short while later, Big Zee himself, Boston Bruin Zdeno Chara roared past, standing head and shoulders above his fellow runners.
A little further up the road, at Mile 20, Chris, Brianne, and their four girls cheered runners on.
Mark your calendars - there's Boston Marathons a-plenty awaiting this crew of young ladies when they hit the 18-years-of-age mark. Guaranteed.
Special congrats to this year's featured runner, Gina Spaziani, who continues to log her marathon miles to support local charities, managing a smile all along the way.
That's a wrap for this year's edition of Boston Marathon chronicling.
One member of the family has already committed to running the vaunted race in 2024. Remains to be seen who else will join him.
If you're still reading up to this point, and aren't tired of hearing the seemingly-endless ramblings from a fan of the Boston Marathon, I'd just like to thank all of the family and friends who have made these Marathon weekends so memorable going all the way back to the early 1990s.
Among the E Streeters collective, we're run this race literally dozens of times. Our family members have been there leapfrogging all along the course to cheer us on in all types of weather, and supporting us in the arduous winter training periods filled with long-run weekends.
But over those decades, we've bonded over running as an indefatigable and loyal band of brothers and sisters, and for those of us who were there on that unforgettable Monday afternoon a decade ago when the Boston Strong mantra earned its moniker, it's made us truly appreciate the good fortune that allows us to maintain our health and keep running these crazy races. There's more to come, no doubt, but a special thank you to everyone who's helped make all of the previous miles so memorable.
And here's to the miles still to come.
