This post has nothing to do with Mariners baseball. It has to do with humanity and the power of sports and the goodness of people in a time of crisis.
Yesterday I was running the Boston Marathon for charity, as a 'bandit' runner, along with 250 other Boston College students. One of the greatest sporting events in the U.S., I was wrapped up in the energy and excitement of it all. Running past BC dressed as Forrest Gump elicited shouts of "Run, Forrest, Run!" while a number of my friends jumped out of the crowd and raced down Comm ave. with me, urging me forward.
I felt like I was dying those last couple of miles, but a half mile from the finish line came the reality check.
Boston PD stopped the runners at Mass ave and Comm ave, halting an endless stream of exhausted, emotional, and anxious competitors.
We didn't hear the explosions, we didn't know what had happened.
Some of us stood while others tried to stretch, to keep themselves warm, unsure if we would be able to finish the race.
I went to the side street, seeing droves of people moving quickly away from the middle of the city. I asked two women with a "Run On" poster what had happened.
They replied: There were two explosions at the finish line.
Reality set in, and finishing the marathon was no longer important.
I'm sure you've all read about and heard about the panic that ensued, but there were moments of kinship, of humanity as well. A man still dressed in his chef clothes came out of a nearby restaurant, passing out water bottles to the exhausted and dehydrated runners. People were helping each other over the barriers, giving up their sweatshirts to keep each other warm.
Then came the phone calls, and the text messages.
By the end of the day over 50 people called or texted me to be sure I was safe and unaffected by the attack. Fifty people! Close friends, roommates, people I hadn't seen or spoken to since high school. It was an outpouring of attention and human concern that I will never forget. And it wasn't just for me. Almost every runner I knew got the same treatment; the world concerned not about whether or not they finished the race, but concerned about their safety and well-being.
There are bigger things in this world than finishing the marathon, watching a Mariners game, screaming at Dustin Ackley when he grounds out to second again. What matters are people, their families, their friends.
Yesterday reminded me of that.
The first thing I did when I heard the news was to contact those I feared were affected, happy to be assured of their safety.
But I was still overcome with grief, with a strange nausea I had never felt before. This attack was real. People I cared about had seen the explosions.
This was the 117th running of the Boston Marathon. An inspiring event that has been a symbol of charity, friendly competition, and heartbreak hill. But yesterday it wasn't about any of that, at least not at the end. What I am getting at here is that sometimes it is good to take a step back and put competition in perspective. I ran 25.7 miles and was prevented from finishing the marathon; but my frustration was short lived.
More things matter than finishing the race, winning the game, getting the strikeout. What matters are the people we love and care about, because without them we would have no one to celebrate with, and no one to chide after a victory.
I was reminded of a number of things yesterday: people are capable of doing terrible things, and that will never change; we can only try to grow out of that adversity, come together, and support one another. People care about one another, despite everything- time, distance, conflict- we are humans because we love and we feel for each other. And lastly, the power of the human spirit is miraculous, sacrificing, and beautiful.
I will never forget April 15, 2013. Yes it was the day I ran the Boston Marathon. Yes it was the Mariners first off-day of the season. But more than anything else, it was the day that reminded me of the innate goodness in people. I never heard anybody making angry, hateful phone calls.
They were only made to be sure that the people they loved were safe.
-Charlie @C14SpencerD
No comments:
Post a Comment