As an out-of-state freshman experiencing Marathon Monday for the first time, the expectations for this day were quite high and had me wondering whether this day would live up to the hype. And frankly, it did. But, not for the reasons I had initially thought.
I woke up on Monday morning and was so excited for what I thought would be a day long darty going from one house to the next on Foster street. My friends and I ate our bagels, as advised by many upperclassmen, began pre-gaming for the day, and slowly made our way down to lower campus and off-campus so that the party could begin. I was having a great time and was beginning to think that Marathon Monday would live up to the hype.
However, my friends and I decided that we actually wanted to watch the marathon for a little bit so around 11 am we wandered over to Commonwealth Ave and watched the race. As we watched the people run by we began yelling encouraging words at them, began reading their arms to figure out their names, and yelled things like “Go Canada, you got this!” to those wearing shirts that displayed their hometown. And the most rewarding thing from doing this was seeing that our encouragement was actually helping! Some runners would hear us yelling at them and start to run a little faster. Others would see us getting really into cheering and would run over to give us a high five.
As each runner ran by, you could see the hard work and dedication in their eyes. You begin thinking about the various stories these people have, and how so many of them have worked so hard for this one day and are finally accomplishing their goals. It is truly moving.
Also, you begin to think about how many of them had to raise $5,000 for charity in order to run. So, as the thousands of people go by, you begin to realize how much money is being given back to those who need it.
So yes, Marathon Monday was fun and exciting, but it lived up to my expectations in a completely different way than I had originally expected it would. It was not only fun because of the parties and large amounts of alcohol being consumed, but by the uplifting nature of seeing so many people accomplish something so big. It was truly moving, inspirational, and a day to remember.
Sources:
http://kgmi.com/news/030030-photos-boston-marathon/
http://www.startribune.com/here-s-how-to-track-a-minnesota-runner-in-the-boston-marathon/419610353/