Bib Number and Singlet
Tomorrow is race day and I am very excited! Start time is 7:00 a.m. I remember vaguely this race was scheduled for 8 a.m. the last time I ran it. Anyway, I’ll have to remember to set my alarm for 4:30 a.m. The organizers of the Run for the Memory Team urged us runners to arrive at the World Trade Center, the race-day headquarters, latest at 6:00 a.m. I want to leave my house no later than 5:15 a.m. to allow extra time to get through security. Because this race is organized by and for law enforcement officers and because it is one of the first big races the city of Boston has seen following the Boston Marathon bombings and the movie-like hunt-down and shoot-out in the normally very quiet Boston suburb of Watertown, I want to give myself ample of time.
I picked up my bib today. This is the first time that my bag was searched before entering a race expo. On race day, there will be two long lines to go through security and one express lane for runners with no backpacks and a visible bib. I usually spend 15 min or so waiting in the bathroom line, this time I’ll have to add another 15 to 30 min for the line through security. My friend Chris, who volunteered for the race to give out bibs, put it this way: “This is probably the safest race we have ever seen.”
At the race expo: a picture of Sean Collier next to an MIT Police Cruiser
Weather forecast: 41 F, 13 mph winds with 50% chance of precipitation. Brrrr… Both Boston’s Run to Remember and the weather remind us that Memorial Day weekend is not the beginning of BBQ season, but a day to remember those who died in active military duty. I was told there will be a special commemorative event for those who died during and following the Boston Marathon bombings last month. Across from the bib pickup at the race expo in the World Trade Center was a picture of slain MIT police officer Sean Collier and (presumably) his MIT police cruiser. There were also lots of commemorative tee-shirts on display: “Boston Strong” or “Collier Strong” was written on them. As a participant of this year’s race I got lucky, because I received a unique commemorative pin together with my bib (see photo below).
I feel lucky that I am running this race this year because of it’s special meaning! If you’re in Boston, I hope to see you along the course (I’ll probably be averaging a 10-minute mile or slightly better)! See below for a link to the race map. The photo on the top of this post shows my Alzheimer’s Association singlet and bib number. Talking about the Alzheimer’s Association, it is not too late to donate! Coincidentally, to reach my minimum fund raising goal all that’s left to raise in dollars is one dollar for each mile that I will be running tomorrow (donation link).
Race Map: BRTRMap_wWater8x11_2013
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