One Run for Boston

We are less than a week away from the launch of the One Run For Boston relay and I couldn’t be more excited!  The relay starts in Santa Monica on March 16th, winds its way through 14 states and ends in Boston on April 13th.  I am honored to be running the final 2 stages of the relay.  The goal is to raise $1 million for the One Fund which benefits the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.  Being a “survivor” myself, this is something that is very close to my heart.

I can’t put into words what last years relay meant to me or this city.  It helped me and so many others find solace in each other.  I met so many people who were affected by the bombing in different ways, and together we have formed amazing friendships.

As you can imagine, running across the country comes with its own set of challenges.  Because of minor issues with pace, weather, media, etc. the final stage of the first relay was delayed by about 4 1/2 hours, placing the start in Newton at 11:30pm on a Sunday night.  This didn’t stop almost 200 of us from running our hearts out over the last 7.5 miles of the Boston Marathon course.  Despite the hour and the light rain, there were still people out there cheering us on.  There was even an MBTA bus driver, who stopped his bus in the middle of Boylston Street to block traffic, and cheer us on to the finish.  We crossed the finish line a little after midnight on July 1st (my birthday) and it was the best birthday present I could have ever gotten. With my husband and my friends by my side, we began to heal!

Who knows what memories this years relay will bring, but rest assured they will be great ones!  If One Run for Boston is coming through your city, you should sign up to run a stage, I promise you it will be one of the greatest things you ever do!