Runners conquer Boston Marathon

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Lisa Spilinek
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
The weather forecasters predicted dire conditions - winds gusting at 30 or more miles per hour and icy, driving rain. Some called it a "monster nor'easter." 

The 32 determined runners, hailing from various locations and military services, still showed up at Sports and Fitness Center here at 6:30 a.m. on April 16. Neither the adverse weather conditions nor the grueling 26.2 miles ahead of them could deter them from their goal of completing the Boston Marathon. 

The nation's oldest marathon, now in its 111th year, is held on the Massachusetts holiday, Patriot's Day, which commemorates the beginning of the Revolutionary War. This year 23,903 runners from around the world entered the historic race, according to a Boston Athletic Association press release. 

The race had not been cancelled in its previous 110 years and this year was no exception. All the runners could do was prepare for the worst and try to make the best of it. 

"The sooner we get there, the sooner we start," was the focused mantra of retired Army member John Thorsen. "The most memorable part of the marathon for me was when I realized the weather was going to be good, which was at about mile 8." 

"Running in the cold rain and wind turned out to be a good experience," said Capt. Dan Arneson, 86th Fighter Training Squadron, Laughlin AFB, Texas. "It felt good to run in the cold, although I would have liked better weather. The bad weather made it a bit more of an epic experience." 

Others, like reservist Lt. Col. John Dodds, who is assigned to the 2nd Air Force at Keesler AFB, Miss., and serves as a civilian attorney for the Air Force's General Counsel at the Pentagon, said the weather turned out to be better than he had expected and that he felt over-dressed. 

"We spent more time worrying about the weather than out on the course," he said.
Col. Tony Steadman, Electronic Systems Center Staff Judge Advocate, agreed that the weather wasn't bad at the beginning of the course, but added, "Once you got into Boston, the winds were just phenomenal." 

"The biggest challenge for me was trying to regulate my body temperature, both at the beginning, because it was too warm, and later on because it was actually cooler when the winds picked up again," he said. 

Overcoming the weather wasn't the only thing the runners had to conquer; they also had to vanquish the painful cries of their own bodies. 

Col. Steadman described it as being a mind over body experience. "When you finally cross the finish line and realize you've achieved your objective for the day and something you've been working on for a long, long time there's a great sense of satisfaction." 

Along the way, the runners were cheered on by crowds of supporters, which helped them keep going even up the treacherous Heartbreak Hill at mile 21, said Gary Knipling, a veterinarian from Virginia who traveled to Hanscom with fellow runner, Colonel Dodds.
"Boston is a fantastic marathon to run and the people of Boston just make it very special for every runner," he said citing the city's historic significance and supportive crowds.
 
Pat Carmody, who retired from the Navy, noted the support of one group in particular. 

"The most memorable part of running the Boston Marathon was going by Wellesley College; it was pretty amazing," he said. "[The students] were all screaming, yelling, cheering and giving encouragement, and it's exactly when you need it - somewhere around mile 15." 

The reasons the runners cited as their grounds for running were diverse. 

"Anyone who runs marathons would want to run Boston since this is the grand-daddy of all marathons," said Denis Dirscher, who will turn 73 in May. Mr. Dirscher is a retired Air Force Chaplain and currently serves as a civilian Catholic Chaplain at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. "It's a very good challenge - all of the hills in the course." 

Echoing similar sentiments was Maj. Kerry Carlson, 66th Air Base Wing Judge Advocate Office, "It was a lot of fun and it was personal challenge for me. The most difficult part of the race for me was miles 21 to 26, because you think when you get to mile 21 it's going to be all down hill and easy. My motivation was to just complete it." The major said she had prepared for the Boston Marathon over the past three months. 

Colonel Dodds, who said he runs marathons as means of staying fit, explained the lure behind the race. "There is something about running the Boston Marathon. If you tell someone you're a runner, the first thing they ask you is, 'Have you run Boston?' There's this sort of mystique in the road running world." 

The colonel's running partner, Mr. Knipling, added, "We're stacking the endorphin rush on top of the endorphin rush." The pair completed a 50-mile trail run April 14 to prepare for the marathon. 

Some, like Navy Chief Petty Officer Luke Carbon, who is assigned to the Navy Recruiting District in South Boston, and Hanscom contractor Ray Phillips, who serves the 642nd Electronic Systems Squadron, ran for personal causes. 

Chief Petty Officer Carbon ran in honor of his nephew, Jake, 23. A severe car accident left him a quadriplegic three years ago. 

"I told my sister that while I'm still capable of doing this and my body is strong I will deliver the marathon for Jake," he said. "This was a very special, emotional journey." 

Mr. Phillips ran in honor of Andy Martin Jr., 11, who was born with Spina Bifida and is paralyzed. The two have been teamed together through the Children's Hospital Runner Patient Partner Program since 2000 and have finished the last 600 yards of the marathon together for the past seven years. Andy's goal is to enter in the Boston Marathon's wheelchair race in 2014 when he is 18. 

"We made a promise to each other to continue our annual tradition of crossing the finish line together in every Boston Marathon until we can fulfill our goal of covering the entire length of the course together from Hopkinton to Copley Square on April 21, 2014," Mr. Phillips said. 

All 32 runners who boarded the bus in the early morning hours at Hanscom completed the marathon. Through perseverance and determination each crossed the finish line a winner, Colonel Dodds said. 

Those who are interested in running in Boston next year may want to follow the encouraging advice of Chief Petty Officer Carbon, "All you have to do is put your mind to it. Anybody can do it."