Spirit Of The Marathon Where Are They Now

[Bok Wykes]

Byfar, the most emotional part of the race was the home stretch and finish line. As I rounded the final corner and faced the last 100 meters, I was met with a cheering crowd of people, applauding us as one by one we crossed the seemingly-elusive finish line. As I crossed, I was met by volunteers who waited with joy for each marathoner: they gave personal congratulations and hung a finisher medal around the neck of each runner. Many of these volunteers were past marathoners themselves, and so they personally knew the hard work and struggle it took to achieve such a goal, as well as the profound joy in crossing that finish line. Making it to the finish line, after wondering for so long if it was even possible, made me quite emotional.

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In the late hours of April 18th, 2013, just a couple of days after the Boston Marathon bombings, as the suspects were still on the loose, I received a call that would mark a significant moment in my life and for the MIT campus community. Officer Sean Collier had been shot on campus, prompting an immediate campus lockdown. That phone call came from my staff, who were informing me of this critical incident. Having responsibilities for this team, the community members they serve, and the facility in which they were sheltering, I quickly arrived on campus to provide leadership and support. I will never forget the tense hours that followed.

"Our staff were closing the Z-Center when the campus went into full shutdown mode," I reported in 3:00 am email to my colleagues later that morning. We implemented a shelter-in-place, moving everyone to the interior of the facility, securing entrances, and dimming the lights for safety. "For nearly three hours, we sheltered about 100 people at the Z-Center."

The situation unfolded rapidly, with updates arriving via text and police scanner apps that we downloaded to our phones. These updates provided us with real-time information. "Explosives were being detonated in the street, and gunfire was exchanged," I detailed in my communication, highlighting the gravity of the external situation while we remained sheltered inside.

At approximately 2:30am, the all-clear signal was finally given and we could safely disperse, I felt a profound sense of relief. As we all returned to our homes and dorm rooms, daybreak brought a manhunt that led to multiple city-wide shutdowns as authorities sought to apprehend the remaining suspect.

In the months that followed, we channeled our experiences into a force for good, forming the MIT Strong Marathon Team. I was honored to join 38 others in running the 2014 Boston Marathon, a powerful tribute to Officer Collier and a symbol of our community's enduring spirit. We set an ambitious fundraising goal of $140,000 to help launch the Collier Fund at MIT. Several weeks later, we eclipsed that goal by raising over $176,000. A clear sign of the solidarity and generosity that defines MIT.

Now, as we approach the marathon a decade later, I look back on those events with a profound sense of reflection. To all the runners participating this coming Monday, I offer my heartfelt best wishes. Your dedication continues the legacy of resilience and unity that we, as a community and as individuals, embodied in response to the challenges of 2013 and 2014. The spirit of determination and remembrance carries on, a lasting tribute to the values we uphold and the memories we cherish. Especially for the Officer who wore badge 179!

As a marathoner myself, running in all types of conditions, I have been to water stops where the water is not plentiful. I cannot express how important volunteers and supplies are during the difficult task. Sometimes all you can do is just hope to reach the next water stop to get you through another mile. And, just as important, is the cost that we runners incur just to take on a marathon. Most races, especially major marathons, are very expensive. Sure, you get a t-shirt and medal, but what you really are paying for is the course support. In the London Marathon incident, the water that was stolen without a doubt belonged to those runners that day. And despite those who think they are entitled to the leftover water, those supplies belong to the race itself. As the London Marathon organizers explained, they use the leftover supplies for other events.

While this incident certainly angered me, it also saddened me, as it is so akin to a situation that was so close to me. I remember vividly, similar reports of looting occurring during aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. There also Is a video of an incident showing members of the crowd taking official Boston Marathon merchandise (including the coveted BAA jacket). While it may have been true that some of the clothing was used to warm the runners and the injured, not all of the merchandise was taken as a good deed. Some people did manage to take advantage of the situation, causing the BAA (Boston Athletic Association) to have to monitor auction sites just to make sure people where not profiting from selling such items as finisher medals. I know there were many runners who later were unable to buy jackets as souvenirs as they now were unavailable. Even medals, handed out to finishers and non-fishers alike were at a premium and closely monitored when handed out.

Sadly, what these events show us is just as there is so much good in the world, there will always be those who chose to take advantage of a situation. While I am angered at these incidents, and those who perpetrated them, I have to focus on the wonderful things that revolve around an event such as a marathon. Most people are there to give support to the runners, not to steal their support. As I intend to run the London Marathon in the future, I hope I never hear reports of these types of activities again.

This behavior bothers me even more so because these actions of a small group do not encompass what a marathon is about to everyone else. Running is a positive sport. Runners support every person out there trying his or her best, and root for each other. And marathoners, through their perseverance, even through pain, demonstrate the depth of our humanity. Ultimately, these thieves may have been able to steal something tangible from those runners, but, they will never steal what matters most, and that is their spirit.

I met my baby niece on Sunday morning. She was born late Saturday night. I went to some news sites to grab some screenshots of the things that happened the day she was born, and stopped myself. There were some really bad things happening in the world, Saturday, and every day. Instead, I wrote down that the Red Sox beat the Rays, 2-1.

After some hesitation, I forgave myself for the cardinal sin of crossing the active marathon route to get across the street, because there was no other way to get home. We walked back to the apartment in Back Bay, just blocks from Boylston. I began to feel the physical insecurity of seeing militarized state police pour out of vehicles, and knowing how little they could do to help now that the bombs had gone off.

As ambulance sirens poured down every street and helicopters made concentric circles overhead, we needed information. And I knew going in that, in addition to the love and Are you OK?s from basically everyone I know and love and have ever known and loved, I was going to see some things I did not want to see online. I bring them up here because these are patterns. It matters little who the specific actors are this time: The same things will happen next time.

I remember hearing about the barefoot runner from Ethiopia who won the 1960 Olympic marathon in Rome. Then in Tokyo, 40 days after having acute appendicitis, Abebe Bikila also won the 1964 Olympic marathon with another record time!

It was also important to me to figure out how to avoid carrying any extra weight. I bought lightweight shoes and socks and chose not to take a water bottle (they have water stations every mile) or even my glasses.

And He said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

You have probably figured out by now that I did not win the marathon or take first place in my division (though my daughter did take first place in her division!). In fact, I took 2,166th place! But I am glad to have done it, and I learned a lot about preparation, endurance and what to do and not do when you hit the wall.

Mike Bennett is editorial content manager for the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in the Dallas, Texas, area. He coordinates the Life, Hope & Truth website, Discern magazine, the Daily Bible Verse Blog and the Life, Hope & Truth Weekly Newsletter (including World Watch Weekly). He is also part of the Personal Correspondence team of ministers who have the privilege of answering questions sent to Life, Hope & Truth.

When I think of race directing, I imagine someone hanging onto a cliff by their fingertips. If all goes well, they scramble up, carry on, and no one notices. But one rock tumbles, a handhold slips, and they plummet to jeers of disgruntled participants who believe idiots seal their own fate.

Eighteen years ago, I was invited to cover and run the Himalayan 100-mile stage race in West Bengal, in the northeast tip of India. For five days, at elevations from 6,000 to 12,000 feet, partly on a road that forms the border with Nepal, I joined 40 runners (including a handful of fellow journalists) from 12 countries to race a loop through terrain tourists never see.

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