I am scheduled to run my very first marathon on September 14th. Like my fellow runners, I began training for this historic road race back in December, running through the hills of Newton into Wellesley every Saturday morning with the Heartbreak Hill Running crew. Between training, I raised $12,000 for the American Red Cross in honor of my friend Tom. I have literally run thousands of miles, spent hundreds of hours training, all for the glorious chance to cross that blue and yellow pavement in the middle of Boylston Street.
At this very moment, there is nothing I want more than Marathon Monday. To kick off in Hopkinton State Park. To conquer Heartbreak Hill(s). To see the Citgo Sign on my way to the finish line. As I imagine the triumph I will feel at the sight of the Prudential Center, I think about the volunteers handing out water cups at each stop. I think about the fans crowded and huddled together, cheering us on. I think about my fellow runners, breathing hard as they inevitably pass by me and my 10-minute mile pace. I know in my gut that the Boston Marathon needs to be canceled. My dream and the dreams of 30,000 other runners is not worth risking the livelihood of this family. Because that is what we are in Boston. We are family.
I believe the owner of Heartbreak Hill Running Co. said it best in his final email to his runners back in March. Coach Dan wrote to us after Marty Walsh’s cancellation of the marathon, saying, “Many of you may remember that in my kick off speech I always say, ‘the Boston Marathon is just a road race, a run from one place to another’ and it remains just that. It’s one we love. It’s important to us. It defines the careers of many pros, it focuses our lives from December to April (usually), it inspires, it unites. But, it is still just a road race.”
A road race that has changed my life and the lives of thousands of runners and spectators. But still, even if one single runner, volunteer, or spectator gets sick with COVID-19 on September 14th, a road race will not have been worth it.
I made the decision to dedicate a large part of my winter to this road race at the end of August. I applied to run for the B.A.A with Team Red Cross. I did not apply to any other team because I wasn’t interested in any other team. I was running with a purpose. My best friend’s dad, Tom Hunt, passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack on June 14 2019. I chose to run and raise money for the American Red Cross for their outstanding commitment to training citizens in CPR and AED training. I was running for Tom and his family, who are some of my favorite people in the world.
We will never understand tragic events such as Tom’s death or the COVID-19 outbreak. Sometimes bad things happen that are beyond our control, but we always have a choice over how we react. We always have a choice to do the right thing.
As I type these words, I think about Tom’s family donating AEDs to restaurants in Hampton beach a month after he died, including the very restaurant he died inside. I think about the people who literally ran towards bombs on April 15, 2013 to save the lives of strangers. I think about the health care workers who knowingly step inside a building filled with COVID-19 patients every single day. When faced with the worst, we can do the right thing.
Tragedy has once again rocked our city, and this time, rocked our entire world. But even with darkness all around us, we Bostonians know what is right. A safe and joyous Marathon Monday will come again someday, but it will not be on September 14th.
Amy Donovan
Lynn