Boston Marathon Bombing

This afternoon at work, a coworker messaged me and said there had been an explosion at the Boston Marathon.  I first thought this must be something small or an accident.  I searched online and found a picture of the blast.  It looked much bigger than what I thought.  I then saw that a couple of people were dead and many injured. 

Many thoughts went through my head and I wondered whether all the local runners were safe.  I heard it happened around 4:09 into the race and knew there would still be big crowds coming in at this time.  I've run Boston twice in 2008 and 2010 with times of 3:42 and 3:45, so I felt chills learning of when this happened during the race.  I also thought of my parents.  They came both times to watch my sister and me and usually stand close to the finish line where this bomb exploded.  It makes you feel fortunate for family and friends and those things you take for granted.  It also makes you sad that this is the world we live in.  Innocent spectators enjoying a normally joyous day in Boston killed and injured for no good reason.

Another event in history that came to mind was the killing of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics.  Although a different circumstance from what happened today, it was a terrorist attack at a major sporting event - a place that should be void of violence, politics, war and religion.

“This killing of Israel athletes is an act of war. And if there’s one place that war doesn’t belong, it’s here. 1200 years. From 776 B.C. to 393 A.D., your fellow Olympians laid down their arms to take part in these games. They understood there was more honor in out running a man than in killing him. I hope the competition will resume, and if it does, you must not think that running… or throwing… or jumping… is frivolous. The games were once your fellow Olympians answer to war – competition, not conquest. Now, they must be your answer.”

- Bill Bowerman

 Today is a sad day for our sport and our country, but we will rise again as runners and as Americans.