‘If you’re losing faith in humanity, go out and watch a marathon’
"I could not be more thrilled to finally line up in Hopkinton."
In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon runners share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston.
Name: Jack Connolly
Age: 25
From: Boston
Growing up, my mother took me and my brother every year to watch the Boston Marathon. A 10x marathon runner herself and later an inaugural member of Team MR8, she purposefully brought us to watch at the Newton Fire House — that first turn in the race where runners, tired after the nearly 18-mile trek from Hopkinton, begin their ascent of the infamous Newton hills.
For a long time we didn’t understand the significance (“What’s so great about watching people run?”) but I eventually came to recognize the importance of the marathon and its role as a symbol of perseverance, mental and physical grit, and community. There’s a saying: If you’re losing faith in humanity, go out and watch a marathon. I couldn’t agree more.
That symbolism took on added meaning after the 2013 bombing that took the lives of our Dorchester neighbor, Martin Richard, and two others. The resilience displayed by the Richard family and the City of Boston in the aftermath has inspired and continues to inspire me for over a decade now. Witnessing the way that a sense of purpose can come from tragedy, as shown by the Martin Richard Foundation, continues to amaze me and it has proved to be an incredible source of motivation during the long, cold miles of marathon training.
In 2020, I decided it was time to lace up my shoes and run Boston for Team MR8. The COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately had other ideas. Now, four years later, I could not be more thrilled to finally line up in Hopkinton and run the marathon in honor of Martin Richard and all those who demonstrate what it means to be Boston Strong.
Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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