A Dream Come True
by Carol Russell
December 2010
During the fall of 2007 while shopping an in out-of-town grocery store I saw a woman pushing a grocery cart in front of me wearing a Boston Marathon running jacket. I stopped and talked with her and told her that’s my dream – to qualify and run in the Boston Marathon. She told me she ran seven marathons before she qualified and told me, “Keep trying! You can do it!” Her words have echoed in my ears many times over.
Not long after my encounter with this woman I ran my second 26.2 miler – the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. I was on pace to qualify for Boston until I hit the wall at the 20-mile marker. My legs turned into two stiff wooden sticks!
The next year I ran in the Chicago Marathon, but unfortunately it was the second hottest race day on record – 86 degrees when I finished the race! The hottest Chicago Marathon was the year before in 2007. Due to the excessive heat and humidity the race officials suggestedto runners to either slow their pace or considering stopping the race altogether about the time I was at the 16-mile marker. My finish time was far less than ideal and it was the first time ever I got sick after a race.
This year I registered for the New York City Marathon. Several running friends told me that since it’s a lottery drawing it usually takes several tries before you’re name is drawn to confirm your entry. Lo and behold, I was confirmed to run in the Big Apple race on November 7, 2010! I was excited about the whole NYC experience of running through all five boroughs.
My training was coming along smoothly and injury-free during early fall 2010. I had already put in two 20-miler training runs when suddenly on September 22, while attending a conference in San Francisco, I received a phone call with tragic news from my sister Rita who informed me that our sister Peggy, 59, had died earlier that morning of a massive stroke. How could this be? I just saw Peggy four days before and she looked beautiful and was witty as ever.
Needless to say my marathon training nearly came to a screeching halt as I was dealt with a heavy, grief-stricken heart in the days following Peggy’s death and funeral services. By mid-October I reluctantly gave up the idea of running in the NYC Marathon when I realized I was not going to be ready and made the decision to defer my entry to next year. That very day I switched my Kiawah Island half-entry to the full marathon. Scheduled for December 11, I figured the Kiawah Marathonwould give me another month to get my training back on track and perhaps I’d fulfill my dream to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Inspired by the memory of friends and family, Carol enjoys her Boston-qualifying 26.2-mile run at Kiawah Island. Here she runs alongside her brother Michael (in yellow cap).
My brother Michael was signed up to run the Kiawah Island Marathon with me, however he suffered an Achilles tendon injury weeks before the race and was not sure he could run at all. He decided just days before the race to run the Kiawah half marathon, so on race day my brother and I ran the first 13.1 miles together because in the aftermath of our sister’s death, we realized more than ever the importance of sticking close to one another.
Editor’s Note: Congratulations, Carol! Your story is an encouragement to all of us. BGR will be cheering you on in April!
