I grew up in a small town about thirty minutes north of Boston. For the past two years, I’ve worked in a running specialty store just ten minutes away from the Boston Marathon finish line. I always work during winter break when I am home. To most people, I joke that I’m a poor college student, but honestly, I love to be there. My job description says that I fit people for running shoes based on their biomechanics and offer guidance on other running apparel and equipment. But my main job is to listen. I get to hear stories from a man who signed up for his first 5k to get in better shape or from the woman who signed up for her first marathon to run in honor of her brother who died in Iraq. Through my job, I’ve found that runners can relate on a different level. We understand the good and bad days of training, the agony of injuries, the accomplishment of finishing a race, the excitement of new shoes, the excitement of signing up for a new challenge. Runners are warriors.
“Have you ever done Boston?” As a Boston-native, the Boston Marathon is synonymous with running. Finishing the race is one of the biggest accomplishments for anyone, but especially a New England resident. Around January, we start to get the Boston Marathon hopefuls into the store. Some are elite runners, who qualified on the increasing tough standards. Others raise thousands of dollars for charities to get a Boston number. All are excited to hear about our personal accounts about the race. One of my coworkers tells a story about how his feet were bothering him around mile 23. He saw spectators cringing at him, but cheering nonetheless. It wasn’t until the end of the race that he realized he lost all of his toenails.
The Boston Marathon represents the fighter spirit of Boston, Massachusetts. The bombers at the Marathon got their few minutes of fame, but Boston fights back. There are stories of spectators and first responders saving people, residents opening up their homes and support and love from all across the country. And these stories keep flooding the newspapers, social media and any other media vehicle. Barack Obama said it best, “Boston is a tough and resilient town.” Never have I been so proud to be a runner from the Boston-area.