Dear Vanessa,
This is to notify you that your entry into the 114th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 19, 2010 has been accepted.
We look forward to seeing you in April! Best of luck in your training!
Sincerely,
Boston Athletic Association
My entry to the Boston Marathon was confirmed and accepted the other night. Once I got the e-mail, I just felt a huge sigh of relief for a few reasons. Boston sold out last week (the earliest in race history), and I was so worried that I had messed up my application. But getting the official letter was a big relief and made the dream of getting into Boston a reality. That relief and joy reminded me a lot of how I felt when I got into Holy Cross, my top choice. Both were things I had been working towards for such a long time, and the alternative seemed inconceivable. As a 17 year old, Holy Cross was my only dream. And as a runner in the Marine Corps Marathon, my only goal was Boston or bust.
I know that there are many out there who missed qualifying by a few seconds, or got closed out of the race, and I feel sorry to write so gleefully when there is disappointment. But that is part of the desire for Boston - it is that dream school that you strive for. You take the tests, you study hard, you train hard so that one day you can show up and run with the big dogs. And after the hours of sweat and pain, you can proudly don the coveted jacket.
It's not an impossible dream anymore; it's quickly becoming a reality, and for that I am so grateful.
Hold up, you get a special jacket?
ReplyDeleteIt's like the friggen Masters!
Awesome. After spending $500 and beating the hell out of my body for 12+ hours, I get a special "tech t-shirt" or one-of-a-kind Ironman backpack. You get a freaking uniform. It is like you are on the bridge of the starship Enterprise. So unfair... so unfair...
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