Compiled by Ernest Joseph
So here we were, couple of days before the Boston Marathon; with our jaws wide open in disbelief, reading this weather forecast of an imminent nor’easter. In the beginning, we kept saying “it is always a 50-50 chance with these forecasts, so with our luck, it is going to be a great day in Bahstin on Monday…”
By Sunday, the day before the Marathon, we were getting a surreal preview of the weather we will get in Boston on Monday, as we prepare to depart for Boston, and needless to say, it did not look promising. But we had our own RRR hotline created with cell phone network, trying to help each other out. Gokhan Ozuner was supposed fly at 8 AM, and somehow his flight took off in that crazy storm, thank God. But Jim Dangler was not as fortunate, as his flight was cancelled. With some quick phone calls, Jim was able to get a ride with Jerry Sun and Mike Nusblat at 10 AM that morning. Kathy Daly called and asked if she and Grandma will be able to get a ride back from Boston on Tuesday. With our networking, nothing was impossible. Everyone was accommodated. In between, we were getting calls from our concerned RRR friends and families who were on the BAA website, monitoring latest developments. Everyone was concerned and worried about possible hypothermia and other health risks. Special concerns were for Grandma Marie Killeen, but if you know Grandma, you know that it would take a hell of a lot more than a freakin’ nor’easter to keep her away from that famous starting line! Grandma has seen enough in her lifetime to know when to back off, and this was certainly not the one to even reconsider dropping out. Our commitment was unwavering.
A sign I saw at the Expo says it all – Reason number 4321 to run Boston: “My boyfriend said I am afraid of commitment, I had to prove him wrong.”
As we were driving or flying to Boston, we kept calling each other to keep everyone updated. Gokhan, who is a medical doctor, had offered RRR members a bus ride on marathon day through his American Medical association, that will allow us to stay in the bus; dry and warm, until the race starts! Wow, we thought life does not get any better than that! Not only that, our bags will be brought back to the hotel, and so we did not have to wait for our baggage pickup after the race! Thanks Gokhan, your help was greatly appreciated and as we can see now, it is reflected in everyone’s performances 🙂
Patty and Shaun Daly, Kathy’s parents were also traveling with us, and Patty offered to book a nice restaurant for all of us that evening. To reserve a dinner spot on Sunday night before the marathon in downtown Boston is almost impossible, but do not tell that to Patty, as she had us reserved at Stephanie’s on Newberry and Exeter intersection, just couple of blocks away from where we all were staying near the Copley Square. Thank you; Patty and Shaun, for your company on Sunday night. During the course of the dinner, our conversation ranged from past experiences to the strategy for the race day. Shaun Daly, who has run 3:10 marathon in the past, had some nostalgic stories to share about Dublin Marathon, where Kathy’s grand father had finished second overall once. Kathy proudly displayed that medal and said “I will wear this medal tomorrow as a good luck charm….”
During the dinner, my cell phone rings, and it was Josephine Patten on the line, telling me regretfully that she will not be at the start line. Josephine has been running phenomenally, leading up to the Boston, but a bout with bronchitis and then an unfortunate fall during a training run in the trails had left her with a knee that required some stitches. Josephine tried to test her self out on Saturday at Brooklyn half, two days before the marathon, to see if she can run Boston. She did well in the half, with a time of 1:40, catapulting the 40+ women’s team to a victory which would not have been possible without her. But during this race, she felt enough discomfort in her knee, resulting in her decision not to run on Monday. Wise decision Josephine, you have done Boston four times before, and although we would have loved your company, please note that you were one of the inspirations to us all on that Monday morning. Talking about inspirations, constantly on my mind were my RRR friends who had worked hard all summer in 2006 and finally qualified for Boston but injuries kept them away. Alisa Carbone, Mitch Pollack and Kate Tormey had run perfect race at Steamtown to qualify, but they must wait for another year, heal from injuries and come back strong in 2008. As a runner you can just imagine their frustrations. I kept telling my self “tomorrow you are not just running for your self, you are representing your training buddies, and so go out and make them proud…”
As we depart from the restaurant, the rain was coming down hard, with a wind gust of 50 miles per hour. Umbrellas were not as useful, but we were optimistic, that tomorrow morning these all scary ailments will go away…
But we had to spend the night before we can see tomorrow, and the night was not moving forward any faster for some of us… Jim was talking about the wind gusts and the rain banging on his window all night, keeping him awake. I am a deep sleeper, and so I was spared with this anxiety during the night. You can have a parade of elephants go through my room, and chances of me waking up are very slim. My wife Angie, on the other hand, is a light sleeper like Jim, and she confirmed high winds and rain throughout the night.
Marathon Monday
On local Boston TV, they were calling it “Monsoon Monday,” and in the early hours of Patriots’ Day that was as good a name as any. Torrential rains soaked southern New England, while ski country in Vermont got more than a foot of snow. Wind gusts up to 50 miles an hour buffeted volunteers at the finish line in Boston as they toiled just after dawn. Could the race really go on?
Of course it can. After all, in it’s 111 years of history, the race was only cancelled once, but not due to extreme weather. In 1976, race time temperature was 96F, and the race went on, and who can forget 2004 Boston in 85F! So, the BAA was able to convince the Boston authorities by saying “If you decide to run it, we guarantee that they will come.
And that’s what precisely happened. Over twenty thousand entrants showed up for the dance.
Kate Devine, Jim Dangler and I met up in the lobby of The Sheraton at 5:45 AM to go to Gokhan’s hotel, which was one block away. When we ventured out, the wind was blowing from all directions, and the rain was piercing. But I had this optimistic answer to this situation: I said “the weather is always at it worst when the day light is about to break….” And it seemed that Jim and Kate bought my optimism for now as we entered the Hotel Colonnade. Kathy and Grandma joined us soon, and we were off to the athlete’s village in Hopkinton by 6:30 AM on the American Medical Association sponsored bus.
About 45 minutes later, we arrived in the village. Our bus was parked in a permanent place, and we were allowed to stay on the bus till our start times. Meanwhile, the nor’easter was in full swing outside. We had about 2 hours to spend, and we were so thankful that we will not have to spend this time out in the open, with 20,000 runners, on a muddy, rain soaked grounds. Occasionally, we went out to go to port-a-John, or just got out to get a sanity check. You see, we were so warm and comfortable inside, we would think of wearing shorts and singlets, until we go out and get a reality check. Jim and Kate kept mentioning of wearing shorts, and every time they mentioned, we would send them out for a reality check. They would come back in the bus and say: “definitely tights, and no shorts.” Thankfully, we all dressed wisely, and as a result, performed so exceptionally well. Hypothermia was THE common cause for runners for dropping out in last miles of the marathon, and it was caused by high winds and cool temperatures, resulting in to cramping and seizing muscles, making it impossible to move forward.
At one point the bus coordinator announced “we will be leaving right after the race starts. Who is going back?” Of course he was referring to “supporters” who had come to see their runners off at the start line. Quick witted Kathy Daly replied “Oh, I did not know we had that option…” All this humor and laughs kept us relaxed and took our minds off the weather temporarily. We made friends with Brian from Utah, Christine from Oregon and Allu from California. These physicians were attending the conference and today they were ready to tackle the course. Couple of them had taped the top part of their sneakers with a duct tape. How clever! Brian said he will take the tape off before the start, and it will allow him to stay dry until the race starts. We asked them if they had instruction sessions on “Boston 101” during their conference, in between the heart and brain surgery lectures.
Reflections on Running & Life 