When an incoming freshman goes on a tour of Boston College for the first time, there are a few things that they should be told without fail. First, that BC is a Jesuit school – we believe in being men and women for others, in setting the world aflame, and in being attentive, reflective, and loving. There are Jesuits on campus – in the dorms, in the classrooms, at mass – but they will never impose their religious beliefs on you. They will, however, challenge you to live a life in the pursuit of excellence. Second, every incoming freshman should know that the combination of academics, athletics, and community are what set BC apart from every other school in the country. Third, that freshman can live on either Newton or Upper, some juniors live off campus while others stay on or go abroad, and senior year everyone comes back and lives together, most hopefully in a Mod.
One last thing, though, that is not necessarily on the list of the things the Student Admission Program tour guides and panelists are required to tell those high school students and parents, but that is a trait other schools under consideration and in competition with BC cannot necessarily claim, is that one Monday an April, all Boston College students, faculty, and staff members get the day off to celebrate the Patriots – not the New England Patriots, no, but those men and women who participated in the Revolutionary War battles of Lexington and Concord and fought for the independence and liberties the United States can now boast about. The third Monday of every April, BC students wake up early to celebrate these Patriots the way Eagles of many generations have and many future generations will – by waking up early, having a football-game-day-times-ten-style tailgate, and watching the Boston Marathon’s courageous runners reach the Heights and the top of Heartbreak Hill. All prospective students must know the absolute importance of Patriot’s Day on this campus – Christmas in April minus the snow and the dysfunctional family dinner but with its own unique gifts to offer all the same.
As a freshman, the prospect of Marathon Monday was confusing – everyone was talking about it as if it was the best day of the year, but I was unsure of how, where, or why I would be celebrating. When an upper classman friend gave me the run down on the day and the activities that would ensue, though, I knew regardless of what I did I was going to love it. And I was right. That Monday morning, I woke up much quicker than any other Monday of the semester, woke up all of the girls in my hall with a chant of “Wake up! Wake up! It’s Christmas! There are presents to be had!” and the rest is history. From the moment my alarm went off that April 19th, 2010 morning, Marathon Monday has been right up there with Christmas Eve and the first Thursday of March Madness as my most favorite days of the year. Last year as a sophomore who knew what to expect from the day, it was the equivalent to that one Christmas as a little girl when you get absolutely everything you ever asked for. And this year I expect nothing less. In fact, I expect more.
Marathon Monday, much more than the Patriots from Lexington and Concord, is about getting out on Comm. Ave nice and early ready to scream your face off. It is about figuring out which t-shirt or pinny to buy in the month leading up to the big day and sporting whichever one you choose on the day of. It is about donating money to the Campus School or whatever other organization your friends and classmates are running for. Marathon Monday is for waking up early, having a mimosa and big breakfast and making a day of it.
For some people it is the end of a long process of training and the first and only time they will run from Hopkington to downtown Boston – the most amazing 26 mile-ride or their life. For those of us that are less brave or less athletic, it is about finding out everyone you know that’s running that has dedicated the last 4+ months of their life training to run those 26.2 miles and doing everything in your power to spot them among the 25,000 other people at mile 21.
It’s about – if you’re even 1/5 as brave as those people running – jumping in to run the last 5 miles after Heartbreak Hill and motivating your friend or roommate to finish. It’s a “darty” in the most epic sense of the word, an extra day to a spring weekend, an excuse to act like it is football season again, and an event relatively unique to the Heights. It is not, if you’re under 21, a good day to jump the fence of the Mods. Trying to cross Comm. Ave once the runners start going by is not in your best interest either. But the cops love Marathon Monday, too, and they’ll be on your side as long as they don’t have to tell you more than 37 times that you need to back up onto the curb an stop getting in directly in the face of the runners to tell them how amazing they are and that they can do it (I’m not speaking from experience at all….).
So gear up, BC. It’s coming: the best day spring on the Heights has to offer us. However you plan on celebrating – be it as a runner, a spectator, half and half, what have you – enjoy every minute of it. Wake up early as if it’s Christmas morning all over again because the gifts of friends, fun, and running are just a few of the things Marathon Monday has to offer. Whether your first drink will be a Gatorade in preparation, a large iced coffee to wake yourself up, or a beer in celebration, together we will honor the Patriots in true Eagle fashion and remember the holiday warmly (well, most of us…) for a long time coming. As they say, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” and whether or not you’re actually running the 26.2, this advice should be taken as literally as it ever has been.
Take it slow – the day starts early and ends late, and there’s too much good stuff in between that you’ll be heartbroken to miss. Whichever way you spend your day – struggling up heartbreak, drinking on Foster Street, or something in between – tie up those laces, cheers to the Patriots, and have yourself the merriest of all April Christmases