Eliza Garry is running for a woman killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings

"That same day that I was beginning my college experience, educational goals were cut short for Lingzi Lu, a graduate student at BU."

Eliza Garry is running for Lingzi Lu, who was killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Eliza Garry

February 28, 2020

1 minute to read

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. If you’re running the marathon, you can share your #WhyImRunningBoston story here.

Name: Eliza Garry
Age: 25
From: Boston, Massachusetts

For as long as I can remember, I’d take the commuter rail in from the North Shore to walk all over the city, bribed by ice cream, a Fenway Frank, or the chance to catch a foul ball in the bleachers at Fenway. By age 10 I could alphabetically name all of the streets that run perpendicular to the Charles through Back Bay. Every visit I made to Boston helped me to appreciate how lucky I was to call it home, especially when I went out of state for college.

On April 15, 2013, I was sitting in an auditorium at Connecticut College, surrounded by other incoming freshmen, learning more about the four years ahead of us. That same day that I was beginning my college experience, educational goals were cut short for Lingzi Lu, a graduate student at BU. Lingzi exemplified ambition, coming all the way from China to achieve her goal of studying at BU, but she was tragically killed when two bombs were detonated on Boylston Street that day. When I graduated college, I moved to Boston to begin working towards my professional goals, also attending BU as a graduate student. The few years since I officially became a Bostonian have been the most formative years of my life. I have learned more about myself, my values, and my city in these years than in the 22 before.

I have Boston to thank for these crucial years so when given the chance to run the Boston Marathon for the Lingzi Foundation in her honor, I could not pass up the opportunity to give back to the city of Boston and this amazing organization.

Editor’s note: Entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.