Over the course of my 50 years of running I’ve met hundreds of people who have turned their running into a way to help others. It was not unusual before the pandemic to be asked by friends or families to sponsor their efforts in a run and even during the pandemic some people were raising funds participating in virtual races.
Of all the runners
I’ve met, four stand out as extra special, true angels. One of those angels, Dick Hoyt, passed away
this week. Dick’s son Rick was born in 1962
with cerebral palsy and was quadriplegic.
At the age of 10, Rick was given a specialized computer that enabled him
to communicate with the rest of the family.
An avid sports fan, in 1977 he asked his dad if he would push him in his
wheelchair in a local 5-mile race. Thus
began a journey that spanned more than 1000 races including numerous Boston
Marathons and even the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon (2.4-mile ocean swim, 127-mile
bike and a full 26.2-mile marathon run).
In the swim Dick actually pulled Rick in a rubber dinghy behind him. During that time Dick started a foundation,
Team Hoyt, to foster athletics for disabled people. I remember the first time I saw Dick pushing
Rick in the Boston Marathon. I caught
up to them as Dick was pushing Rick up Heartbreak Hill. I’m puffing my way up the hill thinking this
guy is an animal pushing a wheelchair with a full-grown man up a steep hill 19
miles into a marathon and he is just chugging along. As I passed them, I wished them well and
said I’d see them at the finish. It wasn’t
too long after they went whizzing by me on the downhill. As
inspired and impressed as I was by his physical ability, it was the love of his
son and willingness to help others that affected me most. He will be missed but this angel now has his
wings.
This year’s
Boston Marathon was moved from April to October but in 2022 it will go back to
April. Registration opened this week
for runners meeting the qualifying times from a previous marathon in the last 2
years. The field is being restricted
this year to only 20,000 runners so it will be very competitive to get in. In addition, for the first time this year
they will have a Virtual Boston Marathon.
No qualifying time is necessary and they will accept the first 70,000
runners to apply. You have the option
to run your marathon anytime between Oct. 8-11th and I assume they will
require one of the running apps be used as proof of completion and time. In exchange for the entrance fee, you get a
Boston Marathon completion medal, a marathon shirt and some running
goodies.
The Boston
Marathon, arguably the most competitive marathon in the world, normally raises more
the $30 Million a year for charities.
They do this by granting 2500-3000 runners who otherwise would not run
fast enough to qualify for entry, the opportunity to stand on the starting line
with world’s most elite runners and earn a coveted Boston Marathon completion
metal. Current fund-raising minimums
for these runners start at $5000 and can be as high as $10,000. With the virtual marathon offering people
the option to get a medal without raising funds it will be interesting to see
how it affects the charities.
As for me, I’m
sticking to April for my Marathon Challenge.
You may recall last year we targeted to do the 26.2 miles in 5 days in a
total combined time of under 6 hours. This
year we have upped the challenge to 26.2 miles in 4 days in under 5 hours. To put this in perspective, the last time I
ran the Boston Marathon in 2017 I completed it in one afternoon in 4 hours 5
minutes.
Thanks to
all who have supported me in my road back.
It’s truly a journey with no end date or goal but with your continued
support I’ll keep plodding, blogging and supporting Pediatric Cancer programs. More on the challenge next blog.
