It was exactly one month ago today. At 10pm on April 21, 12 hours after starting the 2008 Boston Marathon, I checked into a hotel in Milford, Mass., eight miles south of Hopkinton. Because I was wearing the blue race jersey, the receptionist at the front desk of the hotel asked me about the marathon, and we chatted briefly. She said she had followed the Boston Marathon on TV that day while watching her three kids at home. She was pleasant and seemed interested in the fact that I had run it.
But when I mentioned the program we raised money for, her face lit up. She was a complete stranger to me; we might never have known we were connected in some way. But her smile was proof of the impact we all have on each other, evidence of the way our generosity makes a difference in the lives of people we will never meet.
Of this lady’s three kids, one has Down syndrome and she and her son have spent a lot of time at the Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center in Hopkinton. She and I talked about what a great organization it is, how wonderful the people are who run it. She was so happy to know that we had raised money for the Respite Center. It was as if with her smile she was thanking each of us personally for the support she and her son had received.
For me, meeting her was a gift. She made everything real. We weren’t simply raising money for a wonderful organization in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. We were raising money for this lady and her son. We had touched their lives.
That gift was one of many I received while in Boston.
I would like to thank Alex and Casey, friends of mine from California who now live in Boston and who gave me a place to stay when I arrived in Boston on Friday before the race. Thank you for the tacos!
I would also like to thank Bryan and Jennifer who let me stay at their house and gave me a ride to the start line. Thank you! It was great seeing you near the finish line too. And be honest: didn’t I look as refreshed and rested then as I did earlier that morning? I’d also like to thank Bryan’s and Jenn’s kids, Benny and Kellen, who entertained me the evening before the race. Thank you for making me laugh all night!
I’d also like to thank my friend Lori who ran part of the race with me and who met me and Kristina after the marathon for a beer in Natick. You are what people look for in a friend.
And more than anyone else, I’d like to thank Steve and Kristina and their daughter, Cora. Whatever I say by way of thanks will not be enough. Thank you for letting me stay with you on Saturday night before the race. Thank you for the beautiful sign that Cora made. Thank you for waiting for me at mile 23 (and waiting and waiting and waiting). And thank you, Kristina, for running with me the last 3 miles, encouraging me, and standing by me as I nearly puked at the very end. I’m not sure I would have finished the race without your help.
And lastly, thank you to everyone who donated money to a very worthy cause. More than 100 friends gave generously to support this effort, and I wish I could thank each one of you in person.
When I said that I would carry my list of sponsors and thank each of you at every half mile, I wasn’t kidding. (See photo to the right.) I thought about you all as I ran and I repeated your names to myself so that I would remember why I was running. And it is no exaggeration to say that you all carried me. In a very real sense, you helped me get across the finish line by not letting me quit – you didn’t let me quit when I was training and tired and not wanting to run; and you didn’t let me quit when I was actually there running the Boston Marathon. I thought about you and your generosity and your friendship, and it kept me going. So let me say it one last time: From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
