Marathon

It’s not spring in Boston until tens of thousands of people make the trek from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.  I’m not sure how it happened, but in my 34 years – all spent in Massachusetts – I had never seen the Boston Marathon in person.  That all changed this year.  We also brought our toddler Briana, so she could see it 32 years before I did.

Luckily, we live close to the marathon route, so getting there was easy.  We made a quick 15-minute drive to Natick, parked, and walked just a few minutes to Natick Common.

Even before the runners arrived, Briana loved it.  All the people created a great energy, and she enjoyed watching all the kids and dogs milling around.  For a minute I almost forgot she was there, as she sat in her stroller quietly taking it all in.

Of course, the real highlight was seeing everyone come by.  It was really inspiring to see the wheelchair and para athletes, especially since where we stood was uphill.  Then it was time for the elite runners, who were really flying.  I don’t think I could reach that speed at all, never mind keep it up for 26 miles.  It really is one of the most impressive athletic feats you can see.

Briana loved watching all the runners come by.  At first, she seemed a bit confused by what was happening, but she quickly caught on.  Soon she was clapping, waving, and even blowing kisses as people ran by.  She was so interested that we thought she might stay for the whole race if we let her. But we couldn’t – we had to get home for naptime.  All the excitement wore her out, so for the first time in a very long time, she fell asleep in the car as we drove home.  We know it really made an impression because she still talks about it a lot.