Did I qualify for Boston? No, but I gained so much more.
New York City Marathon, November 4, 2018. The weather was perfect, the crowds were AMAZING and I was right on track for Boston (Sub 3h:55m to qualify).
I started out a little fast but adjusted as I went along. I felt strong for most of the way but around mile 23, I felt “off”. I had been fueling and I didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard but my energy level was starting to go down. At Mile 24, I had 25 mins to get to the finish and secure my BQ - plenty of time - but then everything went south! I started hunching over and my eyes were closing - at that point, a runner on each side of me grabbed me and asked if I was okay. One of them insisted that I hold on to his arm and run with him. And then, seeing what a state I was in, he insisted we walk. He wouldn’t leave me!
This happened during a race, 2 miles from the finish line. This stranger sacrificed his finish time to help me. He wanted to take me to the Medics tent but I wanted to finish. I said “let’s run, I want my BQ” and he said, “NO, I want you to live”. That just put the whole day in perspective for me. To experience such compassion from another runner/human being is worth a BQ any day.
I gave it my best today - for 24 miles, I ran at a BQ pace. I’m proud of that. But, more importantly, I am so happy that I got to experience humanity at its best.
