...and I'd add watch a marathon in the worst conditions in 30 years on Boston Marathon Monday 2018.
There were a few Marathon weekend firsts for Team McManus. It was the first time we spent 3 days working at the Expo with Blue Diamond Athletic Displays. What a glorious time we had meeting and inspiring runners and helping them with their selection of a medal display. It was also the first time we watched the coverage of the marathon on TV rather than be spectators along Beacon Street. The weather conditions were harsh and we knew that we could send our energy to the runners from the safety and warmth of our own home.
I was so blessed that Ken and Nell invited us to lend a hand as members of their Sales Team (although their products sell themselves) and to share my inspirational journey on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. Photo credit: Nell Posmer
Tom dropped me off at the Seaport Hotel Cafe where signs directed the runners and the excitement in the air was electric:
I arrived before the Expo opened on Friday. I was about to text Nell when a lovely woman at the Information Booth asked if she could help me. She gave me my badge and a map. Proudly wearing my Exhibitor Badge I found my way to Booth #758 while vendors quickly put the finishing touches on their Booth displays. It was my first behind the scenes look at the Boston Marathon Expo before it opened to the public. What a thrill and how wonderful to see Nell again as she put the finishing touches on their display:
Booth #758 was the hub of activity for runner reunions, hanging out with elite runners and the forging of new friendships.
A longtime Blue Diamond Athletic Displays customer, Pam, posted this on Facebook, ""The tradition continues.....I always visit Ken & Nell! Come visit Blue Diamond Athletic Displays at the Expo!"
Running and especially the Boston Marathon brings runners together from around the world. Calvin is from Hong Kong and we inspired each other with our running journeys! He was inspired to purchase a copy of my book, 'Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance.' He told me that he would write a review in Chinese and English to share my journey with others. He started running 3 years ago and is a remarkable marathoner with grit and determination.
Running greats Amby Burfoot, Deena Kastor, Jacqueline Hansen (who wrote the Foreword for Going the Distance), Sarah Mae Berman and Jack Fultz stopped by Booth #758. Deena and Amby signed a medal display that Meb, Ryan and Sarah Hall, Frank Shorter, Dick Beardsley and Kara Goucher had signed before them. We pulled in Caitlin Doherty, President of L Street Running Club to be in the photo with Amby:
This year I was blessed to connect with The Joseph Middlemiss Foundation. Everyone I met through the Foundation embodies Joseph Middlemiss' legacy of kindness, love and joy for life. They had a team of 15 runners running Boston this year and every one of them made it to the finish line running with all their heart.
I met Laurie Miamis at the Book Launch of "Dream Big". She came by and purchased a medal display:
Another member of Team Big Heart, Jennifer Sprague stopped by and treated herself to a Boston Strong medal display:
We found each other on Facebook and as I always like to say, nothing makes friends faster than being a part of the running community!
Several other members of Team Big Heart stopped by who I had known from Facebook and had donated to their fund raising pages.
Amidst familiar faces, we met and greeted runners who were intrigued and fascinated with the medal displays that Ken and Nell create. One runner in particular said to Tom on Saturday as he held a medal display to draw attention to our booth, "Now I'd really be impressed if you told me you make those." "We do," Tom said and introduced him to Ken and Nell. He is going to order his display on line since Blue Diamond Athletic Displays ships around the world to 50 states and 6 of the 7 continents!
Throughout the weekend friends came by to visit!
Tony Rich who is a coach and longtime Blue Diamond customer stopped by to say hello and asked us how our running was going! Here he is in the Boston Marathon program ad for Blue Diamond:
"Thank you for being a fan," Maureen Jones from Rochester Minnesota came by with her brother Matt who was going for the podium in his age group. We met after the 2014 Boston Marathon and you can read the incredible start to our friendship by following this link
Trish Trout wasn't running Boston this year but ran the 5K. We became friends after the Bermuda Half Marathon in 2016. She embraced my journey and wrote a review of Going the Distance on Amazon. It's such a warm and wonderful feeling to welcome friends back to Boston with open arms and open heart:
Jane Marshall, former Mrs. Massachusetts and I met when we were both interviewed on Magic 106.7's Exceptional Women show. We hadn't seen each other in years but stayed in touch on Facebook. I am humbled by how she told me I inspired to take on the Boston Marathon and run for Wideko Childrens Services who help children struggling with mental health issues. When she saw that I was going to be at the Expo, she made a concerted effort to see me. What a joyful and emotional reunion we shared:
Annette Emerson and I met during One Boston Day in 2015. What a thrill to see her again along with her guide, Kristina Rynes Petitjean. Annette and Kristina found each other shortly after the tragic events of 4/15/13 and helped each other through those confusing and dark hours. Out of darkness emerges light, love and friendships to last a lifetime.
On Saturday evening after two incredibly energizing yet exhausting days at the Expo, Ken, Nell, and Neil took Tom and me out for dinner. We tried to get a table at a restaurant in the Seaport area where this year's Expo was being held (I must admit we did miss the traditional location of the Hynes Convention Center) but everything was noisy and there were long waits. We opted to head out to Brookline and enjoyed a leisurely dinner at one of our favorite places, Golden Temple. They thoroughly enjoyed it and even had leftovers to take back to their hotel.
Tom and I had a leisurely Sunday morning although we were both anxious to get back to the Expo to support Blue Diamond on their last day at the Expo. It was the Anniversary of 4/15/13. Tom and I wore our Boston Strong colors:
We kicked off Sunday morning at the Expo by visiting the Dream Big booth that was staffed with Nancy Wendland Feehrer, who co-authored Dream Big and the Team Captain for Team Big Heart running in the Boston Marathon, Andrea Ketcham Walsh:
along with "Flat Dave" - Dave McGillivray who stands still longer than the real life Dave McGillivray:
They didn't know the back story to my journey and there were hugs and goosebumps all around!
At 2:49pm the Expo hall was hushed for a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives and were injured on 4/15/13. Tom Grilk read a powerful and poignant message about remembering the events of the day while honoring the remarkable resilience and strength of our City and its people. Tears flowed and the crowd broke into applause.
Running is the only sport I know of where elite runners and champions in the sport love to share the love of the support with runners of all race distances and all paces. The friendships that are forged with runners who run all paces and all distances are lifetime friendships. It's an international sport with a universal language. There's a runner's code of honor (more on that in Part II) and honoring and respecting everyone's effort out on the roads. We lift each other up when we are down because of challenges on the roads or in our lives; support each other through injuries and celebrate triumphant running comebacks. Running raises money for incredible causes such as the Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation, Wideko Childrens Services, The Martin Richard Foundation just to name a few.
I LOVE THIS SPORT and felt so blessed and grateful to be a part of the Boston Marathon 2018 Expo with dear friends and running family.
To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours,
Mary
Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc.
Be sure to visit my website by following this link.
My books are available on Amazon.
Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life
Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:
And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):
No comments:
Post a Comment