Marathon Monday
How many random memories might come to fore - 48 yrs from my first; bill rogers’ '75 2:09.27, stopping to tie a shoe lace; ’76 95F; johnny kelly in latter years still out in the dark; rosie ruiz "subbing it", newton-wellesley internship/fire station/turn right to Heartbreak; Sara Mae this weekend at High Rock and many yesterdays ago at Boston; evolving from b&w to vivid color; 2013 blast; no wind, tail wind, head wind, motorcycles and helicopters announcing the head of the pack; disability classes; ’77 when hamstrung, I raced the 4th woman to the finish around 2:57 (with a qual of 2:44); last turn to Copley; now security check points; but mostly the competition-endeavor; and legions of people participating/contributing in one manner or another, even
"street" musicians, magicians, panhandlers - all adding to an anthropological panoply. How could I forget Amby Burfoot, '68 winner.
There was a woman with “Heart” artfully painted on her right cheek. She was using an iPhone with a shattered screen so "broken heart” came to mind. I wanted to take a photo but the press of people & rubbing of elbows proved too much. Flags from all countries, many we could not make out. A downtown breeze that revved to chilly as the 2 runners I spoke to told me the course was hot. Times reflected that. How long a thin line trickled in initially and even an unfamiliar quiet spell when little happened. We left before the real show, the peoples’ story. We had Mocha in the car in the Commons garage. She’d already had 2 nights in the back and we’d had our time on the road with the A meet and boatyard. With marathon memories bolstering, it was time to leave Boston and this lovely but brief marathon day. Though as I put our Commons garage ticket in the meter, I held back. It was hard to leave such a
splendid April moment behind - they come once a year and are now gone - again. But still some more await ahead.