Bobby Lamy crossed the finish line, shirtless, and a wide smile creased his face. He stopped, raised his arms over his head, turned to the crowd as if to say, “Look what I just did.”
The spectators began to applaud, and Lamy soaked in the moment.
He really had done it.
The 55-year-old faculty member in finance at Wake Forest University had come to the SunTrust Richmond Marathon to attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Lamy needed to finish in 3:45. He made it by five minutes.
“It’s great,” he said. “I’m feeling good.”
He looked it.
People ran for different reasons yesterday.
The professionals ran because it is what they do well, and there is an actual payoff at the end.
For the rest of the field in the 8K, the half-marathon and the marathon, the competition was not with other runners, it was against the clock or with themselves.
For them, the payoff was finishing.
Some crossed the line in a dead sprint.
Others ended their runs with legs so dead they were wobbling.
Those in need of shoulders to lean on took no more than a step or two without receiving aid.
Sam Khazai needed no one’s help at the end. He hit the finish line hard, yelled “Yeah!”, blurted out an expletive and continued toward the food and water stands.
“It’s a beautiful course, but it was a hard marathon for me,” he said. “I wanted to qualify for Boston.”
Khazai, 28 and from Washington, missed his qualifying time of 3:10 by about 10 minutes. His frustration was multiplied by his run in the Marine Corps Marathon several weeks ago.
“I ran a 3:11.18,” he said. “But the Boston Marathon is the most prestigious marathon in the world. If making it there was easy, we wouldn’t be out here, laying it all on the line.”
As disappointed as Khazai was, he found time to offer words of congratulations to Brady Prater.
“Did you make it?” Prater asked.
“No,” Khazai said, as they engaged in a firm handshake. “But I’m sure you did.”
Khazai and Prater never had met before the start of yesterday’s race. Prater is an 18-year old a high school senior in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Yesterday was his first marathon. He qualified for Boston.
He could not thank Khazai enough for his help.
“We started together, and we paced each other until about mile 17 or 18,” Prater said. “He gave me advice before the race. He was great.”
Just down the street from the finish line, Susan Greenbaum and her band serenaded the runners, their families and friends.
Children skipped to the melody of Greenbaum’s lilting rendition of ” Put Your Records On.”
Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
. . . Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams.
Somewhere in the throng of people near Greenbaum were Nancy and Phil Welker. Next Saturday will be the Welkers’ 50th wedding anniversary.
They decided to celebrate a week early by running the half-marathon. They crossed the finish line side by side.
A few seconds later, Phil Welker, 72, reached out and took the hand of Nancy, 74.
A few steps later, he leaned over and softly and gently kissed his wife’s hand.
So, what is the secret to a long, happy marriage? Is there more to it than running half-marathons together?
“Just keep on running, one mile at a time,” Phil said.
“One mile, one year, one week, one day,” Nancy said. “Go one more.”
Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
. . . Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams.
Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
- Republished from inRich.com
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