“Rejoice, We Conquer” was the dying cry of Pheidippides, the Greek messenger, as he rushed into Athens with news of the Greek vistory in the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.
Pheidippide’s run gave birth to a legend that inspired the long-distance running event.
But the Boston Marathon, the world’s premier marathon race, began as an entirely men’s race. For the first 70 years only men were allowed to run.
But here we are in historic Boston with three women runners. As a spectator with two daughters and one friend running I am super nervous. I think I’m probably more anxious than if I were running it myself. Actually our three contestants are pretty nervous too. I’m just hoping and praying that all three of our runners have a great experience. Boston is a tough race. Fortunately the course is lined with cheering supporters most of the way.
And we are the biggest fans of Team Andie, Paige, and Jennifer. Brent and I have rented bikes in hopes that we’ll see more of the race by cycling than by driving (and still make it back to the finish line in time). We hope our plan isn’t foiled by closed roads and we hope we aren’t overly ambitious with the bike strategy.
Ah, memories in the making...
