Steve Prefontaine famously said “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” When people train to compete in any sporting event, they must be willing to give it their all and work through the pain to feel the sense of completion and accomplishment. For some, that experience was cut short last year due to a terrorist attack and I loved the theme of this year’s Boston Marathon – we run together. Additionally, the race director has said that it’s finally time to take back the finish line. It is so fitting for a city that’s endured unthinkable tragedy and heartbreak to come back today Boston Strong. With increased security and many racers coming back to finish a race that was cut short last year, the city was a buzz for Patriots Day. As people ran for something more than themselves, there was no shortage of storylines this year.

Since this is my second post in a row about the marathon, here’s a little background on why I’m so interested in it. I’m not a runner. I played soccer and ran track (hurdles and sprints) when growing up but was never into distance running. When I was in college, my high school soccer coach and mentor collapsed when she competed in Chicago (and qualified for Boston) and passed away from a heart valve collapse. That stayed with me and has been an inspiration to give my best in everything I do – and enjoy the struggle. Some injuries later, I’ve tried to get into running, but my body won’t let me. Still, I follow races and when friends and acquaintances participate in marathons, I’m drawn in with admiration. I’ve attended races to cheer on friends and got my computer set up this morning to track those I knew and watch the live camera of the finish line. For the women, Kenyan Rita Jeptoo set a course record as she repeated as the winner. On the men’s side, the odds were also in favor of the foreign runners, but Meb Keflezighi defied those odds at age 38 and became the first American to win the Boston Marathon since 1983. He said he was racing in honor of the victims and for the city and gave them all something to be proud of as the national anthem rung down Boylston Street.

Beyond those I knew there were a few other people I was also watching for. First, it was well publicized that this would be the final marathon for Team Hoyt, the father son duo where the dad pushes his quadriplegic son 26.2 miles as both have smiles on their faces (http://www.teamhoyt.com/). At age 74, this was Dick’s last race and it sure was a memorable one full of cheers and tears from everyone around. Newlyweds Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky were both injured while watching the marathon last year and rode hand cycles this year before crossing the finish line holding hands. They are beautiful story of love and survival. Here’s more about them: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/04/19/jess-and-patrick-one-year-later/njPh2G4baWRzmKC0lyh7CJ/story.html. Finally, there is Scott Menzies. I didn’t hear about him until this morning and was moved to tears. His wife was the runner in the family when she was hit and killed by an allegedly drunk driver 4 months ago. They were out training together for her to compete in Boston when everything changed. With special permission, Scott ran in her place today and “finish what she started.” He ran strong and I only hope that he felt his beloved wife out there with him. Here’s more about Scott and Meg: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/04/21/a-heartbreaking-boston-marathon-story-you-havent-heard/

Beyond these inspiration people, the pure excitement of each participant crossing the finish line is moving as well – from first pumps to cartwheels to stopping for a kiss, and everything in between, this is a major accomplishment and I’m so proud of thousands of people I’ve never even met. They gave the city, country and world something to cheer for today as Boston took back the finish line. There are so many great stories out there of courage, heart and determination that I encourage you to read. Today, they all gave their best and gave the world something to cheer about!