Marathon Angel

You hear about these things, particularly in the back of the pack where I live. The legend is that those of us who are slogging it out at the end of the train will sometimes experience the appearance of a random stranger that will offer an encouraging word, a push, an energy bar or some other miracle that keeps you going.

I came upon Alexander around mile 6, noticed he was also from Back on My Feet and sped up a bit to catch him. We introduced ourselves and quickly fell into an unspoken pact of run/walk. He ran a touch faster than me, but I was a quicker walker, so we seesawed for a good 12 miles. It turned out that we were about the same age, so we became two old guys making our way, one foot in front of the other.

He mentioned several times that I was keeping him moving, but the truth is that he was pulling me along a lot more than I was pulling him. We didn’t talk a lot, and sometimes we were 50 or 100 yards apart. One of the times that we did talk, I told him about the marathon angels, and that I believed that he was mine. He deferred and claimed that I was keeping him moving, but I knew the truth of the matter. Towards the end, he started to fade but we stuck together and hit the finish 7 hours and 13 minutes after the start. And, just like an angel, he disappeared. I looked for him after the finish, but he was gone.

Particularly for the old and slow among us, finishing a marathon is a team sport, so I have to take a minute to recognize my team. Thanks to Coach Katie Heyl and the crew at Charm City Run for training support; to Dr. Sean Jones, Dr. Mackenzie Chrisco and the FX Physical Therapy wizards for keeping these old bones in one piece. Two years ago I was in an orthopedic boot after a fall while running. Sean got me back to the point where I was doing five and 10Ks and was able to think about doing the marathon this year. Then he and Mackenzie and a few other folks kept me moving as the mileage increased and the body rebelled! Huge thanks and much love to her royal Highness Cynthia Margaret for tolerating another of my crazy ideas with her usual grace and dignity.

And a massive thanks to all for your financial, emotional and spiritual support. Together, we raised $6,580 to support Back on My Feet. And because of my relationship to that organization, I experienced the presence of an angel — for that I am eternally grateful!

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