Six months after his fiancee was murdered on a run, a D.C. man shares his emotion crossing the Boston Marathon finish line in her memory and a new partnership in her honor.
“I ran this race with Wendy,” Daniel Hincapie said.
He admitted he was sore from running the Boston Marathon on Monday. But he would never give back the experience to connect with his slain fiancee, Wendy Martinez, again.
“She was right next to me. She was in the sky, she was next to me, she was at the finish line. She was everywhere … There was a moment I was having a conversation with her spirit. It was powerful and emotional,” Hincapie said.
Cheering on @danielhincapie at mile ten! The energy here at #BostonMarathon2019 is incredible! Thank you so much again to the @LingziFDN for this opportunity. #RunforWendy #TeamWendy #TeamLingzi pic.twitter.com/3Z1gc9qDfY
— The Wendy Martinez Legacy Project (@WendysLegacy) April 15, 2019
Martinez’s family members and their friends came to Boston to cheer on the man who said his heart was running the race, not his legs.
When he crossed the finish line, one of his supporters handed him a banner that read, “Love Wins. Wendy Wins.”
Hincapie met Martinez more than three years ago preparing to run a half-marathon in Washington, D.C. Last year, they completed a full-marathon together in San Diego.
“We ran a lot … Wendy was faster than me. It was challenging for her to stay at my pace. One of the last things we did together was the San Diego race,” Hincapie told WTOP.
His life was forever changed on Sept. 18, 2018, when Martinez was stabbed as she ran near their home after work. Martinez staggered into a nearby Chinese restaurant, where bystanders tried to help her. She later died from her injuries at the hospital, police said.
Martinez had been stabbed a total of seven times, including in her head and neck, according to an autopsy report.
Anthony Crawford is charged in her murder and, last month, a judge found him competent to stand trial. Outside of the courtroom, Hincapie is determined to keep her memory alive.
“We’re very happy to announce the first partnership with Girls on the Run D.C., the local chapter of a national nonprofit that inspires girls’ confidence, joy and health, with help from volunteers and experienced runners to build a curriculum which integrates running,” Hincapie said.
The Wendy Martinez Legacy Project will provide a grant to Girls on the Run to fund a team of 30 girls in underserved communities of D.C., ranging in age from 8 to 12.
“We want more women to run. We’d like to see more women getting into tech. We’d like to see more empowerment. That’s one aspect that really represents who Wendy was … We look forward to supporting the next generation of Wendy Martinez,” he said.
WTOP’s Jack Moore contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: This story has been changed to reflect that the couple met preparing for a race in D.C., not San Diego.
