#BostonStrongATH - Athens, Georgia

A run for us to unite and show our strength.
A run for those that were unable to finish.
A run for those that may never run again.
A run for us to try and make sense of the tragedy that has forever changed something we love.

Pavement Runner started an incredible movement with the idea of the #BostonStrong run series, for Monday evening, one week since the tragedy in Boston. I quickly emailed the idea to one of our Athens Road Runners board members on Tuesday, and by Wednesday I had a Facebook event invite waiting for me - runners make things happen. The ARR coordinated the run, with further coordination for shirts from the Athens Running Company and a local State Farm agent jumped in for water for post-run refreshment. Community. What a community.

I'd say there were safely between 200 and 250 runners that came out Monday for a solemn 3 miles around Athens - moms, kids, dogs, college students, and some of our area-based 17 Boston Marathoners from this year. An amazing turnout for an event with five days' notice. Humbling, to say the least.

 We started with a 26-second moment of silence for each mile of Boston, followed by introductions of our Boston Marathoners that were able to make it, and a description of the course. ARR won over the hearts of the local police with the promise that all of us (yes, all of us) would obey traffic laws, stop signs, and run on sidewalks. We did... for the most part.

It felt like any other 5K in town - we usually run (most of) the course during our Saturday group runs, in some form or another, so I knew the hills backwards and forwards (mostly forwards), and knew what was coming. I felt great, but knew to back off coming into mile 3, where I started to feel it. Chandler and I chatted most of the way, as I bolted my way through what was supposed to be an easy 3 miles for the day (spoiler: they were too fast for 'easy'!). 

 source | Chandler told me she wanted to learn how to pose like me while running. Win.

The part that got me most was seeing families - parents, their kids, toddlers, and even a set of infant twin baby girls - were out on their porches cheering, like it was an actual race through their neighborhood. I got goosebumps every time I passed one of those houses, thinking of all those spectators killed, injured. They're hurting just as much as we are as runners.

I even got to chat with the press (and more photos I know you want to see here). Afterward, a local bar held a post-run gathering, complete with free hot dogs, water, tea, and Sam Adams for the cheap. Spectacular.

Did you participate in a #BostonStrong run on Monday?

  ------

Email Pavement Runner photos of your event to: bostonstrongcity@gmail.com

If you have any photos that you would like to submit to this collection and share with the public, please send them to email above.

1. Include the city/state (or equivalent) of where the run took place as the subject.
2. Feel free to add a comment, emotion, experience or quote (First name, last initial). Please limit it to 2-3 sentences. Not required.
3. You must have the rights to any photo submitted and be willing to share with the public.

Our Hearts are with Boston - and Runners - Everywhere

The Boston Marathon Tragedy 

 

Everyone has posted about this by now - and while I don't feel the need to repeat words, I think this is partially for my own soul. I'm still stuck in my own head on thoughts and feelings and while I feel... something... I can't totally pin-point what that is.

I'm bummed for those didn't get to complete their marathon - their Boston.
I'm disgusted by the actions of some person, some group, some someone, who could do this.
I'm mad for those who lost their life, or lost a limb.
I'm saddened for those who were injured, who saw, who experienced the entire thing.
I'm angry at whoever thought they could ruin Marathon Monday.
I'm thankful for first responders and volunteers and people that jumped on the scene.
I'm inspired by the running community and the human spirit.
I'm hopeful for all those who know we can move on, move forward, and keep going.

Decked out in blue and yellow, Boston Marathon colors.

Yesterday afternoon I got home from work and didn't know what to do with myself - so Chandler and I went out for a few miles, just to process. Not a lot of talking about Boston, but it was great to run with someone and know that we (all of us) are not alone in this.

This morning, the Athens Road Runners gathered on the track on campus for a run together - for solidarity, for hope, for memory, for camaraderie. Still, I didn't know what else to do but run. We started with a moment of silence, and proceeded on a two-mile loop as a group. Some fast, some slow, some inbetween. Some in silence, some talked the whole way. On the way to campus, at 5:45 am, the radio show was talking about the 8-year-old, just identified late last night, and how he had just hugged his dad who was about to finish his race, and he was running back to his mom and sisters. His dad was running Boston - the runner's dream - and in turn lost his son. That's when I lost it - just a few tears, but enough to really feel what these people felt yesterday.

Athens Road Runners morning.

The running community is just that - we feel. We get it, we understand. I said it yesterday when I changed my Facebook profile picture to the Boston ribbon: You attack runners, you attack my friends. You attack my friends, you attack my community. You attack my community, you've picked the wrong community to mess with. Who else goes out and runs 26.2 miles for fun? The running community always perseveres, we move forward, as we know that's how to finish a race: keep moving forward. And that's what we'll do. We'll log our miles (Charity Miles or otherwise), we'll tweet, Instagram and tag our posts with #runforboston and you'll see that we'll all come together. That's what we do.  The running community is one that can't be faltered - we know heartbreak, we know determination, we know strength. We know what it means to cross the finish line of your first 5K, of your first marathon, of your first anything. It's a high that can't be matched in any other circumstance. We understand the pain, the sweat, the tears that goes into working towards an event.

Boston? Boston, too, in time will recover. We all will. We just need to keep moving forward.

How are you moving forward? Are you joining me in #runforboston? Share your posts and miles here if you're joining me this week. 

Additionally, if you #runforboston (or walk, or bike, or crawl), share your miles here. As of 4 pm EST on April 16, over 370 runners and 1,300 miles logged!