Tender Mercies at the Boston Marathon

I am choosing to write about our entire experience here in Boston, while it is all fresh in my mind.  If you are only interested in today's events, you can scroll further down.  It's been important to me to remember ALL of this experience though. 

The Boston Marathon is AMAZING.  Though I consider myself a runner, I have never had ambitions to run the Boston Marathon.  Actually, neither did Matt until about a year ago.  He had gotten faster than he thought possible and qualifying actually seemed feasible.  He worked like crazy, running hundreds and hundreds of miles in all kinds of weather.  Many days he was out running before the kids and I even woke up.  When he qualified last October at the Victoria Marathon, it was almost unbelievable.  He'd worked so, so hard and had reached his goal.  

Walking into the EXPO on Saturday was overwhelming.  SO many other runners who had achieved this great goal.  Who had worked just as hard as Matt.  It was different than other running expos - everyone looked wicked fast.  Thin, athletic, strong, fast.  I got a new pair of orange running shoes.  We both had lots of free samples of cliff bars, protein chews, gus.  The hype was tangible.  Our good friend Jenn had connected us to her parents, Julie & Bob, who were also there for the race.  They generously opened their hotel room to us so we could change into running clothes & store luggage.  Matt and I were able to enjoy a fabulous run together along the beautiful St. Charles River, surrounded by many other racers getting their final short run in to stretch their legs.  We ended it at the finish line, anticipating Matt's marathon finish in less than 2 days.  

After feasting on crab cakes & tuna at Legal Seafood, a Boston icon, we attended a seminar by Team Hoyt, an incredible father-son team.  The father pushes his quadriplegic son in a wheel chair and this was going to be their 31st Boston Marathon.  They shared an incredible message, "YES, YOU CAN." 

Saturday night we met up with our friends, Jenny & Mark, whom we hadn't seen for almost a year.  We spent most of Sunday together, exploring the historical sights of Cambridge & Boston.  Harvard Yard, Boston Common, Faneuil Hall, The Old North Church, & Paul Revere's House to name a few.  Neither of us had been to Boston before and it was pretty amazing to see where this country's founding fathers had started it all.  Sometimes current politics leave me frustrated, but for the first time in a while I felt very proud to be an American and call this great country my home.   

The day was cold & crisp, but it was beautiful.  There was enthusiasm & comradre throughout the city with so many bright blue & yellow marathon jackets wandering around.  That evening we joined some thousands of other racers at the Pasta Feed.  We unexpectedly shared a table with another LDS couple, close to us in age.  However in their case, the wife was the runner.  We also reunited with Julie & Bob and enjoyed sharing stories and laughing together.  I have run hundreds of miles with Jenn, so it was great to finally spend some time getting to know her parents as well.   

Monday morning was race day.  Our friend Mark drove Matt into the subway station at 6 AM.  He rode the subway into town and caught a marathon bus out to the start line and athlete's village in Hopkinton.  He said it was incredible.  27,000 racers.  Wow.  The rest of us made our way to the 17th mile marker to watch and wait.  We saw the wheel chair racers.  We saw the elites.  Shalene Flanagan and Kara Goucher - so cool!!  And so fast!  I was telling Matt it's pretty crazy that the fastest athletes look like they are in the least pain.  If I was running that fast, I'd be in a lot of pain.  After the elite men came the masses.  Thousands and thousands.  I cheered and cheered, yelling out to those with labels I could read.  "Go Florida!"  "Go Navy!"  "Go Greater Boston Runner's Club!"  Many people, including Matt, had stickers with their name on it, so I could actually yell their name.  That was fun.  The entire time I tracked Matt on Runkeeper.  I knew he was getting close, but couldn't see him in the masses.  And suddenly he was there, pausing long enough to give me a hug & kiss.  We were both beaming.  He ran on and the rest of us boarded the T (subway) with about 5,000+other people to head to the finish line.  We were greeted with joyful chaos, everyone trying to get to the finish line to cheer on their loved ones.  Signs, cheers, cow bells, whistles.  The runners beamed with exhaustion as they rounded that final corner onto Boylston and the finish line.  The crowd was huge, but I was able to squeeze in and find a spot up front just as Matt rounded the corner.  I yelled so loud that the security guard next to me jokingly said, "Wow, glad he passed - you were louder than my radio!"  I could not BELIEVE his time.  After worrying about a hurt leg the past few weeks, he'd rocked the race, missing his PR by a mere 30 seconds.  It took us a while to maneuver through the crowds to meet up with him, but the reunion was wonderful.  3:10.10.  He was jittery & shivering from too many shot blocks & chilled sweat, but he was beaming.  Me too.  I am after all his number 1 fan.    
 

We said goodbye to our friends, who had a long drive back to Maryland, and began walking back toward the finish line to cheer on more racers.  As we headed that way, we got a text from our new friend Julie, who said she'd been able to watch Matt cross the finish line from the VIP Bleachers.  Her husband's run the Boston 10 times and this year was able to secure her the VIP Pass.  She had a fantastic view from the bleachers, but decided to head back to her room to warm up for a little while since her husband Bob wouldn't be finishing for another hour and a half or so.  We asked if we could use her room again for Matt to get changed, and she generously obliged.  We headed to their hotel, the Colonnade, located a convenient quarter mile from the finish line.  After chatting a few minutes, Matt took a long, hot shower. We were all grateful to get out of the crowds and warm up a bit.  We caught the elevator together, at about 2:50, ready to go cheer on her husband Bob and the final runners.  As we were ready to cross the street, a rescue vehicle raced in front of us, sirens blazing.  This is not uncommon in marathons though - there are injuries and people need to get to hospitals.  We made it across the street and parted ways - Julie heading toward the VIP Bleachers right by the finish line, Matt and I heading to the edge of Boylston street.  Matt's dad called to congratulate him and we continued to walk as they talked.  I started noticing that the crowds were all coming towards us and overhearing comments.  "Did you hear it?"  "Loud boom."  The closer we got to the finish line, the more frightened people looked, and it seemed everyone was on their phone.  Matt got off the phone with his dad and I said, "I think something happened.  Look around."  Finally we asked some bystanders who had stepped aside and they said, "We don't know exactly.  There were two explosions by the finish line."

We held hands tightly, turned away from the finish line, and decided immediately the best option was to try to go back to the hotel and hopefully reunite with Julie.  Neither of us has ever been in the midst of a crisis situation like this. Everywhere there was fear and chaos.  Everyone was trying to reach loved ones, but nobody could get through easily since phone lines were immediately jammed. Cell phone service was never shut down, but there was SO many people suddenly trying to call, that it was impossible for anything to go through.  As we walked quickly back to the hotel, there were many people crying, parents comforting scared children, and lots of emergency vehicles.  I was in awe of the police and first responders I saw.  I'm sure they were as afraid as anyone else, but they were doing their job directing traffic and clearing the streets as quickly as possible.  We went into the hotel bar, waiting to reconnect with Julie, and watched the news.  They wouldn't let anyone who didn't have a room key onto the elevators.  We were grateful she came down and got us.

We watched the news from their hotel room on the 5th floor in shock.  Such a beautiful celebration of strength & hard work, shattered by this act of violence.  How could this happen here?  Who would do this?  More importantly were our immediate concerns for those we knew still out there.  Her husband Bob, their other friends, and our friends Jenny & Mark whom we'd only separated from less than an hour before.  Over the next hour and half, texts were spottily sent and received.  How grateful we were when we finally received news that Bob was still a couple miles back and had been stopped at Kenmore Square, along with thousands of other racers that hadn't finished.  He was safe.  Another friend of theirs had finished a minute before the explosions.  He was safe.  Jenny & Mark's family had been evacuated from the subway, but was a distance away and safe.  When Bob finally returned, having walked the rest of the way, we were all so grateful to be reunited.  As the news unfolded, we watched, dumbfounded.  The next few hours in their hotel room were a blur.  We continued to hear sirens out the windows for quite a while and sat glued to the news.  How grateful we were for the many texts, facebook messages, and phone calls of concern, support, and love.  How grateful we were to be together and safe.

About 7:00 PM, Matt went to the lobby to see what was going on in the streets and if we'd be able to head back to our own suburban hotel in Woburn.  Bob & Julie's hotel was in the designated crime scene, so there was yellow tape, SWAT Team members, police, and hotel security everywhere.  They weren't letting anyone into the area, but they would let us out.  The streets were quiet, as most people were heeding the counsel to get home or to their hotels.  Though there was heightened security, our trip back to the hotel on subway, train, & shuttle bus, was uneventful.  We stumbled into the hotel restaurant, about 8:15, starving and exhausted.  Matt was wearing his Boston jacket, so several families stopped to talk to us.  Though dinner was in a sports bar & grill, most of the TVs were playing news of the tragedy.  At the end of the meal, we asked for our bill.  The waitress said, "No.  The meal's on us tonight.  We're so sorry for all of this.  It breaks all of our hearts."  We were truly touched.

Now back in our hotel room, I am counting the many tender mercies of the day.  Our children, have been safe and sound with Grandma and Grandpa at our home in Washington.  My friend Jenn sent us an email the day before we left, telling us we should try to hook up with her parents while we were there.  Matt had an amazing, memorable race.  Julie went back to her hotel room, instead of staying in the bleachers, and invited us to join her for a rest instead of going straight to the finish line.  Jenny & Mark made it, eventually, safely to their car.  Matt and I are together now, knowing we have many who love and support us, and we are safe.  The many prayers offered for us have been felt and I am so grateful for the tender mercies we have received on this day. 

As I mourn those who have suffered on this day, I am also grateful for the many great things this city and race stand for.  Freedom.  Determination.  Persistence.  Strength.  Overcoming the impossible.  My heart breaks.  But I know this city, this nation, will race on.