Lacing Up for Another Dance

Quarter Century Club Picture April 2016

By Gerard Ottaviano

Running the Boston Marathon is something many folks dream about and aspire to while to others it matters little, if at all, in the grand scheme of life. For those of us who train for it and run it perennially, it has simply become a way of life. I'm not sure I can easily answer questions about its meaning or importance for me because I'm not really sure I know, but I will try. Is it rooted in competition? Most certainly, yes. Is the allure the notoriety? It must be, to some extent, for most of us at least. Can it be perhaps that it helps us maintain a connection back to a time when we were younger and stronger and the road ahead was lined with nothing but personal bests and fast finishes with nary end in sight? Most assuredly. There are so many angles to this beast that it's hard to single out any one. At least that's how it is for me as I lace up for another dance with the old girl we call Boston. Actually, at this point in the game, I'm not sure what I'd do in January, February and March if I didn't have Boston to train for.

And what about the end of the streak, as it surely must come to pass some day for us all. For those of us in this unique fraternity, we dread those final weeks before the big race every year when, inevitably, they come... The emails from those who can no longer answer the call to line up on Patriot's Day and the reasons why. We dread them because someday that bell will toll for thee. If you are reading as opposed to sending, your heart goes out to your fellow QCCer that is going through what will someday come for each of us. But, as we are all inherently competitors, we do check to see if it bumps us further up the list toward the top, where Ben Beach sits this year, at the crest of 50.

There have been near misses and close calls, but as I tell most folks that ask, if you get me to the start, I will find a way to get to the finish. Once there was a terrible chest cold, but it only slowed me down some, and, as my doctor said, the run will actually make you feel better, but you'll feel like hell afterward. He was right on both counts. Then there was the back surgery, but timing being everything, I was able to recover in time and run a time I'd give anything to run now. Mother Nature has threatened us all from time to time, blistering, unrelenting temperatures and cold, freezing wind and rain, yet we soldier on in pursuit of and honoring the legacy of the great Johnny Kelley after whom our group is dedicated. Johnny The Elder set the standard of 58 finishes in 61 attempts.

I am constantly asked how long will I continue, doesn't it wear on you, don't your knees hurt? I always say that I don't really think about stopping much, maybe because I still enjoy it so much. If I do, why would I stop? There's nothing quite as invigorating as the nervous excitement at the start of Boston just prior to the gun. It is a little disconcerting to be getting slower and be beset by a number of nagging injuries, but with a lot of work and persistence it is still a thrill to run every year. As you get older, and the training gets tougher and the injuries more frequent, it can be tough to continue, but it also makes you appreciate the coveted opportunity to do it one more time. You begin to realize that the next one is guaranteed to no one, so you wax a little nostalgic, savor each one a bit more than the last, and try to soak it all in on race day while holding it all together for those 42.5 kilometers...

I guess I won't be able to truly answer how much or what the streak means to me until the end comes or comes close. The saying “You don't appreciate what you have until it's gone” may apply here. I have the good fortune to have the support of and run with the greatest running club on this planet, the Greater Lowell Road Runners, after all no one gets here entirely on their own. As I approach my 6^th decade and my 35^th (34 official according to the gods of running) Boston, I harken back to many dear friends, runners and not, that are no longer by my side or in my life. I try to remember and honor their memory at some point in the race each year especially when you hit that inevitable “rough patch” and are in need of some divine inspiration from which to draw.

There are so many things to love about the Boston Marathon. Where else can you go to a huge sporting event where the spectators go for free and the contestants pay to play? The optimism and joy of the start in Hopkinton, the inspiration painted, clothed and etched on so many in the race, running for a charitable or personal cause. The outstretched hands of the wide-eyed children, straining to touch the hand of those incredible runners as they magically fly by. The bands blaring their support along the way as the locals imbibe freely in the morning on a weekday. The individual support crews cheering and holding signs for hours just for that fleeting moment when their special person may come by. The legions of BAA volunteers at the water stops and the medical tents, all there selflessly just to help you achieve your goal. The throng of women at Wellesley whose presence was even more overwhelming in years gone by, but still manage to wow the runners as we pass in awe of their sheer emotion and energy. The masses along the hills who witness the truly grueling portion of the race, yet cheer even harder if that's possible. At mile 20, to see my wife and daughters and their friends proudly holding up signs designed to exhort me onward, little do they know how much that means. The throngs at BC, my alma mater, who cheer for me anyway despite not knowing I am one of them. Heading through the massive Fenway crowd in Kenmore and then to the sweetest sight ever, the Hereford sign followed by the finish So much has changed since '83, my inaugural run, yet much of it remains the same, a lot like life I guess. How can anyone experience that and not be changed forever? So, did I answer the question? I think so, in the only way I know, to try and transport you there along with me. Good luck to everyone on Monday, be well and run fast!