Reaction from the Boston Marathon Bombings

I grew up in the Boston area and have many memories of a sports filled Patriots Day holiday in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Growing up I ran cross country for Bellingham Memorial High School and we would talk about running the incredibly long 26 mile distance of the Boston Marathon. A course with plenty of challenges, but the ultimate race for runners held annually in my hometown.

We’re talking about an elite race, you have to be at least 18 to run and qualify at another registered marathon for an application to be accepted. I have a ton of respect for the over 26,000 who invested countless hours and months training for this international event.

Recently, after taking years off from competitive running, the idea of once again trying to build up the endurance to run this race crossed my mind. One of the early steps towards this was the completion of the inaugural Tuscaloosa Half Marathon. Friends and family made comments that Boston was my next stop. Not quite, but a revived goal.

The horrific events from the Boston Marathon broke my heart yesterday. The spirit and innocence of this event violated and many of the injured were there to cheer on the runners. Some being friends and family of the runners, including little children (like the 8 year-old fatality).

There are also two runners from here. Gerald Ross from Tuscaloosa and Nancy Fawley from Northport. Both are okay.

My thoughts and prayers are with those suffering in the aftermath. This senseless act of terror makes me sad, sick and incredibly mad at how someone or a group would do something like this!

Boston loves sports and their teams and the below poster demonstrates the Spirit of Massachusetts.