On Sunday morning Ellie and I woke up bright and early to make it over to the park in time for the Boston Solidarity Run. It was an event thrown together earlier in the week to show support for the events at the Boston Marathon. It wasn't a race, it wasn't timed, and there was no set distance. Just a group of runners/walkers/stroller pushers showing their support to those injured and lost, and to the city of Boston.
The run was pretty overwhelming. I'd say easily 600+ people were there by 9 am to start the run. We rather silently set off running around the outer loop of Delaware Park as a huge mass, all going at their own speeds and within their own groups. It was a pretty impressive sight, one of the biggest non-racing events I've ever taken part of.
We made it around the approximately 2 mile loop, and decided to cut our own run off then as many others pressed for more loops. We both were feeling pretty sore from our 8 mile training run the night before, so we watched the runners run passed for a few minutes. We saw runners of all levels including a group who ran the marathon. We saw dogs, strollers, walkers. Everyone who wanted to show support was included.
The run helped close out a week filled with every single human emotion, a week that was completely draining and exhausting. Running with hundreds of other people helped show that life and positivity will continue, despite all of the bad in the world, and I honestly feel that it helped me recharge a little bit.
I'm looking forward to the next few races we have planned, and to continue improving and encouraging those racing in my family. I think we will all come out of this past week stronger and with more resolve to do good than ever before. Bring on the Buffalo Half Marathon and the Boilermaker, I'm ready.
That’s incredible!