Running has actually offered me lots of gifts, however perhaps the greatest gift has actually been my friendship along with Marie Murray.
Five years ago I received a Facebook message from my friend Rick asking for tips on behalf of his friend that had simply qualified for the Boston Marathon. Over the next couple of months I gave his friend advice, however not the Operating kind. I figured if she’d currently qualified, she knew exactly what she was doing. Rather, I felt that guiding her toward the city’s finest pizza and donuts was far a lot more beneficial.
Although we lived just miles apart, I initial laid eyes on Marie Murray at the Boston Marathon Expo. We chatted briefly, exchanged some war stories and shared some nervous tension. She and her husband were on their method to a Duck Tour. I was on my method to the North End in search of sugar and carbs. She was a tiny woman — the just individual I’ve ever met that gained me feel enjoy a squatty gorilla! My initial impressions were she was one tough, determined chick. I had no tip exactly how ideal I was.
Over the next couple of years, Marie and I ran lots of relay races together. If Operating makes friends from strangers, over night relay races make family from friends. We were bonded with each other along with sweat and Swedish Fish.
During among these relays, Marie and I, being confined to the backseat of the Suburban due to the fact that we were the just ones small sufficient to comfortably fit, fell asleep while our trusty driver Scott drove us to our next exchange. Suddenly we were jerked awake as the van strike a bump. The two of us bolted upright in that sleepy haze of confusion. Scott yelled out, “Nailed it!” In our stupor, we The two believed he’d strike among our runners and began to panic, scanning the road for our friend. Luckily he’s just strike a dead skunk. It took us a moment to understand we weren’t going to jail. It was hilarious in the method that points are just funny between of the night.
One of my preferred runs along with Marie was a 20-miler we did along with the Huntsman Hometown Heroes, a group that trains for races while raising your hard earned cash for cancer research, simply weeks prior to the 2013 Boston Marathon. It was my initial run along with the team, however Marie was a veteran. I jokingly said I would certainly stick along with her due to the fact that she knew where the bathroom stops were. I was unfamiliar along with the Sugar Residence location and free of her, would certainly the majority of assuredly still be attempting to discover my method spine to our cars. “No sign-y, no turn-y,” she kept telling me. It was a long run in lots of means and once our trusty coach Elfi came looking for us near the end, I joined a port-o-potty. It was Marie that gleefully pointed out that I, commonly among the a lot faster runners, was the one holding everyone up.
After every marathon, we shared a donut. That was our thing. “exactly what excellent is a life free of sugar?” she’d ask. I’d located my longed-for sister.
The last race we ran with each other was the 2014 Boston Marathon. Funny exactly how these points come complete circle.
She struggled recovering from that marathon. Four months later she located that her cancer, which she had defeated as soon as nearly 10 years earlier, had returned.
For the next 18 months, she kept us updated while she kept her sense of humor. She took her daughter to California to observe One Direction. While she couldn’t run, she joined us on one more relay race simply to hang out. She remodeled her house. She simply kept going. While her prognosis didn’t look good, I don’t already know if any kind of of us actually believed it would certainly grab the very best of her. She’d beaten the odds once. Definitely she would certainly beat them again.
The terminology used along with cancer is interesting. Battling. Fighting. No doubt it’s a war on the body, however exactly how do we define victory? Marie passed away on Jan. 4 after her battle along with cancer. Does that mean she lost? Did cancer win? The method I observe it, the just method cancer wins is if we permit it. We beat cancer by living life to its fullest. Marie’s life might have actually been taken by cancer, however she wasn’t defeated. She wasn’t dying of cancer. She was living along with cancer.
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