Boston on a Five Year Cycle
We started running in 2004 and at first never thought of doing a marathon. We just ran because it was fun. However, after a few weeks we signed up for a 10k race – my first – and we really…
Category 2014
This Boston Was “Tutu” Memorable To Ever Forget
Glance at my photos from the 118th Boston Marathon and you might mistake the smiling runner in the frilly outfit for a crazy old man who slipped on the getup as a last-minute stunt to simply gain publicity. But the…
“America’s Good Luck Charm”
In July 1978, I finished third in the Grandfather Mountain Marathon (described as “among the most strenuous marathons in the nation”), just barely reaching my goal of under three hours. As I circled toward the finish line on the track…
Thank you, Boston, for your strength, perseverance, beauty, and grace
Just about anything I say will not do it any justice. But let me try…again. Amazing support. The BAA kept in perfect contact with us through the final crazy month and few last weeks. Their information content was right on…
Third time’s the charm!
My Boston Marathon story starts on January 4th, 2011. That was the day I weighed in for “The Biggest Loser” challenge at work, and I tipped the scale at 300 pounds. That’s the most I have ever weighed in my…
In the right place at the right time: How a race I had given up on became a reality
Running in the Boston Marathon for me was supposed to be a one and done deal: A bucket list item, a goal I set to celebrate turning 50 last year. Boston for long distance runners is the “Super Bowl” of…
A Day to Run Through the Cramps after Shaking the Winner’s Hand
I am an avid runner who normally trains 75 miles per week when not in marathon training phase. I’ve been running consistently for eight years, after seven years of no running while serving in the U.S. Navy. Prior to the…
Cashing in on the “Old People Discount”
I started running at age 46 while living in Fulton, Mississippi. Since then I have been blessed with a great network of running friends who have encouraged me to keep improving. I ran Huntsville’s Rocket City Marathon in 2011 and…
A big “Thank You” to Boston for delivering the world’s greatest marathon
So many people have written such beautiful words to describe what we all felt in Boston on Patriots Day this year. I expected all the emotion of 2013 to come flooding back on the road from Hopkinton. But it wasn’t…
Beauty from ashes. That is what I witnessed in Boston
That’s the first thought that comes to my mind when I reflect on the past weekend. Just. Wow. I ran the Boston Marathon yesterday. My seventh marathon – my second Boston. And yet it felt like a new experience –…
#863 at the Start, # 865 at the End
The first time I ran Boston was back in 2013, and I was 28 at the time. I had a qualifying time of 2:46:46 when I ran the Kona Marathon on June 24, 2012. I then ran a marathon on…
Taking part in the most important marathon of the century
Below is the account of my journey to qualify to run my very first Boston Marathon. I was so excited by my first qualifying time in the spring of 2013 that I completed five more marathons before the year was…