Editor’s Note: WTOP’s Paula Wolfson chronicled her quest for a Marine Corps Marathon finisher’s medal in her “On the Run” blog. She’s competing again in 2013.
WASHINGTON – “I run for Boston.”
So many marathoners have declared that line over the years while training to achieve a qualifying time for what is considered the Holy Grail of American marathons.
On April 15th, 2013 that phrase acquired a whole new meaning.
From now on, anyone who ever runs a race will remember the sunny Monday in Boston: The nervous excitement at the beginning of the marathon, followed by the chaos and blood stained streets at the end.
We were all touched by a savage, senseless act. And for those of us who run not just for the sense of athletic achievement, but for the unexplainable sense of freedom that the sport brings, it is like the world just turned upside down.
We always ran for joy. But now we run with tear-stained cheeks.
In time, we will know who was responsible for the bombings. But that won’t bring back those who died in the sudden explosions of smoke and glass. And it won’t completely heal the scars of the wounded.
We will carry them with us through many long runs to come. Boston used to be just for the elite runners, but now it belongs to all of us.
From now on, we all run for Boston.
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