By Malaina Yoder | Echo
Running 26 miles in one stretch seems like a daunting task. When you add in freezing temperatures, pounding rain and thousands of onlookers, it seems impossible. But 30,000 people, including junior Erin Hoeft and alumna Laura Moore, '13, lined up at the starting line the morning of April 20 to run the Boston Marathon.
As the world's oldest marathon, the Boston Marathon gathered over 500,000 spectators lining the rain-soaked streets. Hoeft and Moore didn't run together in the 119th marathon, but they shared similar experiences racing in the bitter weather.
"RealFeel (the scientific way of determining what the weather actually feels like) was 34 degrees with 17-20 mph winds and rain for 10 miles straight," Moore said. She was surprised that she still loved running in those conditions.
Hoeft,had a similar experience.
"(I) couldn't even see the fans cheering with all the water dripping down my face. It was cool at first, because you feel (like you're) straight out of a Gatorade commercial with the water streaming and splashing in puddles as the crowd roars, but then by the end of the race, I was looking more like I was from an Icy Hot commercial."
Just after Hoeft crossed the finish line, she passed out due to hypothermia caused by the extreme temperatures. Her pulse was shallow enough that someone had to call EMS, but thankfully she recovered shortly after. Because of the harsh conditions, neither Moore or Hoeft ran their best, but both were satisfied with their times
Both Hoeft and Moore were astounded by the support of the Boston community. "Don't believe the stereotype that Bostonians are rude," Hoeft said. "When I came down with hypothermia and passed out, people ran out of a restaurant and helped us get help."
The kindness of the people who both girls encountered during their experience shaped their view of the city.
Moore agreed. "I cannot describe how proud the people of Boston are of the marathon or all of the runners. There were signs everywhere . . . 'Boston Strong' was clearly the heartbeat of the city."
The city residents also made sure to honor the tragedy of the Boston bombings in 2013. Blue and yellow ribbons hung throughout Boston, and many restaurants displayed yellow tulips in blue flowerpots in memory of the victims.
Hoeft was deeply impacted by the hearts of the Boston residents. "Boston is definitely the one town you don't want to mess with," she said. "I ran past a man whose legs had been blown off up to his kneecaps. It was pouring rain, yet he kept pushing. I could imagine how much his prosthetics might be bothered by the freezing rain (but) he kept moving for Boston, for the victims who can't run. So I kept running too: for Boston, for the victims who can't run."
Training for a marathon is almost as important as the race itself. Hoeft and Moore's approaches to training were vastly different. Hoeft ran on Taylor's Cross Country team her freshman year and enjoys training around Taylor's campus.
"There's no better place to train for a marathon (than) here at Taylor," Hoeft said. "The beauty of the morning and miles of quiet back roads makes this the perfect place."
Moore, on the other hand, tends to jump into marathons without doing any training. Her sophomore year, she and her friend decided to try to run a 5K and were surprised by how fast they reached the goal. After running the Indy Mini, she impulsively signed up for the Grand Rapids Marathon. Without any time to train, she ran the marathon and was only eight minutes short of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. After that, she was hooked on marathons and kept running them without training. Moore only did two long runs in preparation for the Boston Marathon and she's not planning on changing her habits in the future. She's also planning on running the Traverse City Bayshore Marathon on May 23 without training.
Both Hoeft and Moore plan on going back to the Boston Marathon next year, hoping to improve on their times. Hoeft explained, though, that this particular marathon is more than a personal challenge. For her, the marathon embodies community in a beautiful way.
"It was one of those moments that you were proud not to be just American, but to be human," Hoeft said. "This is what community looks like. We get hit, we keep moving, and you never let your partner drop."
(Thumbnail photograph provided by Laura Moore)
