The Beauty of Marathon Runners

In a past life, as they say, I was once a high-performance wheelchair athlete, who made international competition a life priority for many years.  When we traveled as a team, the racers, including the marathoners, were considered to be in a league of their own.  Every sport, including mine, has its own unique intensity and qualities, but what I recall of the marathoners was their deep toughness, the aura of tenacity that was second to none.  In Canada, we have boasted some extraordinary marathoners, like Saskatchewan's Clayton Gerein.  Clayton, who passed away 3 years ago, embodied this mental and physical toughness; there was always something admirable about him and his teammates, making it impossible not to credit them for their perseverance and discipline.

I thought of those wheelchair marathoners yesterday as I, like most of you, watched the horrors unfold in Boston.  I thought about the many marathons, from the ones that are run in my hometown, to the events at the Paralympics and the Olympics.  But the Boston Marathon has its own stamp - it is the world's oldest annual marathon, and ranks as one of the world's best-known road racing events.  It is not a Boston event, nor is it an American event.  It is a race that attracts the whole world; in 2013, 74 nations were represented. Because of its longevity and history, it is a symbol of the perseverance and endurance of the human spirit.  Watching it targeted with a violent act of this magnitude, an event that is about good and healthy competition, where pushing oneself to achieve a great physical and mental feat while families and friends cheer on, is an attack on that spirit.

It is desperately difficult to find beauty in such darkness, but here's the thing about marathon runners - they are the kind of people who know adversity, who embody determination, and who define what it means to be fierce.  From a Canadian perspective, consider this: Terry Fox ran a marathon every day in his Marathon of Hope!  Rick Hansen wheeled the ultimate marathon - 40, 000 km in 26 months!  At the Boston Marathon last year, Canada's Josh Cassidy was the fastest person ever to complete a marathon anywhere in the world, with a time of 1.18.25.  Whoever is responsible for targeting a marathon like Boston may make news headlines, but did nothing significant to exert power or make a statement.  The Boston Marathon and many of its participants will no doubt persevere and come back stronger and more beautiful than before. 

wishing you beauty in the knowledge that: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."  Martin Luther King, Jr.

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