Running can be a very solitary activity. Even in a crowd of thousands of runners competing in the same race, I'm still just one runner. I never have any dreams of winning a race--just trying to beat my PR's. I'm competing against myself. My friends and I go to races together, but we all run at very different paces, so we just meet up at the finish line.
And yet runners have this unique sort of solidarity that I haven't found in other sports. The encouragement that runners offer each other, and the encouragement that runners' friends and family give to complete strangers always kind of amazes me. Sometimes it's words, sometimes it's just a smile or a thumbs up or a high-five. Those things can make a world of difference, especially when a race is going badly.
So while I have never run Boston, nor do I know anyone who ran it this year, I still felt the need to write this post. I couldn't just ignore it like it didn't happen. I don't know if this post will make a difference to anyone, but that's not the point. As runners, we support each other.
I will keep the families and friends of the victims in my thoughts, and I want to thank all of the law enforcement, firefighters, and ordinary people who selflessly acted during this tragedy.
And yet runners have this unique sort of solidarity that I haven't found in other sports. The encouragement that runners offer each other, and the encouragement that runners' friends and family give to complete strangers always kind of amazes me. Sometimes it's words, sometimes it's just a smile or a thumbs up or a high-five. Those things can make a world of difference, especially when a race is going badly.
So while I have never run Boston, nor do I know anyone who ran it this year, I still felt the need to write this post. I couldn't just ignore it like it didn't happen. I don't know if this post will make a difference to anyone, but that's not the point. As runners, we support each other.
I will keep the families and friends of the victims in my thoughts, and I want to thank all of the law enforcement, firefighters, and ordinary people who selflessly acted during this tragedy.
