Unicorn Magic - Boston Marathon 2025 - Part 2

 

I woke up at 4:30am without the alarm which was set for 5:30. I had butterflies as I often have on Boston Marathon Monday ever since we ran it in 2009 only these were butterflies on steroids. I meditated and kept clearing thoughts of catastrophic "what ifs" to what if I imagine a perfect day. Ruth Anne and Tom got up with the 5:30am alarm. It was go time after Ruth Anne's 17 week training cycle for the 129th Boston Marathon.

We had our plan and were ready to execute it. When we arrived at the Beaconsfield Stop on the "D" line, we took photos to document the day:

  

We asked a group of runners who were waiting for the T that you can see in the photo with Ruth Anne, who is running? The group separated and said she is. Ruth Anne asked if she BQ’ed. “Yes I did but I’m nervous because I have an Achilles issue.” I had watched a Patreon teaser from the On The Runs podcast. I was a guest on Episode 56.  They are a unique running podcast that I follow and support as a Patreon.  I asked her “What is your name?” pretty sure I already knew the answer. “Allie.” To which I said, "As in the Allie G show?" She has her own podcast under the umbrella of Monday Night Media which includes On the Runs. We all hugged and took a photo:

The train came. Allie's pit crew wished her well and told her they loved her. Team McManus smiled reflecting on the amazing Unicorn magic aka synchronicity that happened at the train station. You could feel the excitement of the runners and spectators vibrating on the train. The only other time I'd been up that early on Boston Marathon Monday was when we drove to Spaulding Rehab to get the bus to Hopkinton. The BAA no longer allows separate buses for charity teams.

The sun was shining when we arrived to Boylston Street where  Ruth Anne and her bus buddy Fadi would meet up.

 

Ruth Anne used the bathroom at Tatte while we waited for Fadi and she grabbed a croissant since she didn't make her smoothie before we left the house. They walked to where the buses would be loading to take them to Hopkinton. Fadi was hoping that they would be able to get on a bus earlier than the scheduled time given their start times as he had last year. Unfortunately, they waited an hour to get on a bus. Nothing was going to dampen their spirits for the day:

 

Tom and I walked to the T at Arlington Street passing throngs of lines of runners waiting to board their buses on the Common.

After Fadi and Ruth Anne left, Tom and I stopped in Tatte to fuel ourselves knowing we had a very long day ahead of us. There was a woman seated next to us who was scrolling furiously on her phone. We asked her if she needed help with anything. A look of relief came over her face. Her boyfriend is a qualifier and she was trying to figure out how and where she was going to see him during the day but being from Seattle and this being her first time in Boston, she had no idea what to do. We gave her the information she'd need along with which apps to download. We exchanged information in case she needed further help during the day. When we got on the train to head back to our usual spectating spot at Dean Road and Beacon Street, there she was sitting on the T. We laughed at the synchronicity. Tom started a conversation with a couple standing next to him who were from Virginia. There daughter is a student at Virginia Tech where Tom works. The Unicorn Magic was everywhere!

Ruth Anne texted me photos from Athletes Village. Just as Ruth Anne trained for the Marathon, I trained as a spectator training myself to trust and stay as calm as possible in between texts and tracking information but those pesky butterflies kept flitting around inside of me.

While Fadi and Ruth Anne were getting ready to toe the starting line, Tom and I made our way back to the spot where we have watched the Boston Marathon for years, at the corner of Dean Road and Beacon Street. Neighbors came up to us to ask how Ruth Anne felt. 

We left to go back to the Mandarin at around noon knowing that Ruth Anne was beginning her journey back to Boston. We had to wait for several subway cars to pass because they were full. We debated about whether or not to change trains and go to the Prudential stop or walk from Arlington Street since it was such a gorgeous day. We thought it would be good practice for walking Ruth Anne back to the Mandarin after she crossed the finish line since there was tightened security and she would have to walk behind Boylston Street to get there. What would ordinarily be a 10 minute walk took about an hour and a half. We were so hungry but fortunately Spaulding Rehab had an amazing spread at the party. 

I tried to not focus on the tracker and Find My Phone but it was as challenging as Ruth Anne running the Boston Marathon. Ruth Anne told me afterwards that at mile 2 she was tired given how she was on her feet for an hour waiting for the bus and then she had almost a mile walk from Athletes Village to the Corrals. But she knew there was no turning back and knew there was a lot of love, orange slices and pretzels waiting for her once she got to mile 10. She got a boost when Marathon Panda Maurice called out to her at the start of the race and took time to take a selfie with her:

 He's part of the On the Runs pod fam!

We've been friends with Paula Romero Dunbar since 2013. Her husband Walter was a first responder on 4/15/13. She always had a dream to have  her own celebration boutique and is the womanpreneur at Paper Fiesta (see previous blog post). She was delighted to bring oranges and pretzels for Ruth Anne as Tom and I had done when we were support crew during her training cycle. She took these amazing photos as Ruth Anne was coming into Mile 10 and Paper Fiesta and as she was heading back out on the course. She texted me and let me know how strong Ruth Anne looked at Mile 10! 

 

 

We met Shawn Whalen at Boston Logan Airport on our way to Bermuda in January of 2016. We've been friends ever since. We knew that he would be at Mile 12 where he has volunteered for years. We asked him if he could bring oranges and pretzels for Ruth Anne to mimic her fueling on long runs. Not only did he enthusiastically agree but said he would peel the oranges because one time during a race, the juice from the orange squirted in his eye and burned. He also asked what kind of pretzels she would like and what would be easiest for her to carry!

Ruth Anne took a selfie with him at Mile 12:

 

When Ruth Anne saw the Wellesley sign she knew she was approaching the halfway mark and Caroline, her advisor from Boston College Woods College of Advancing Studies. Ruth Anne had been registered for her last class to finish her Masters Certificate but it was an in person evening class. When Ruth Anne asked Caroline for advice about whether or not she could take it in the summer and focus on training, she said absolutely yes! She told us exactly where she would be in Wellesley and had hugs, oranges and a sign to greet her.

A bit farther into Wellesley, Ruth Anne heard someone call out her name. It was Michelle Bopp  from our L Street Running Club. Another boost of love as Ruth Anne made her way to Newton and the Hills.

 I was so grateful for the texts from Ruth Anne with updates, and our friends saying how strong and happy she looked!

She slowly and steadily made her way toward Boston keeping plenty in the tank for the Hills. Unlike many runners when they get to the Hills, Ruth Anne was ecstatic when she got to the Firehouse where the party atmosphere was in high gear. 

At mile 18 she saw Candace, another member of the On the Runs pod fam who gave her a big hug. At mile 19point2 she was welcomed by the On the Runs Cheer Zone, given a bag of oranges and sent on her way but oh wait -- There was a surprise guest from Ohio, Patrick Leber, whose book she read and who was incredibly generous during Ruth Anne's thank you to her donors gift giveaways. She turned around and went back taking a selfie with the group.

 One of our dear friends, Beth Singleton Craig, who made Boston Marathon History being the first daughter-mother duo greeted Ruth Anne at the top of Heartbreak Hill. Along the way she was greeted by Wendy Wheeler, a dear friend of many years from Church and Ilene Fabisch, a friend we met through the running community. I was so grateful for the texts and photos.

Fortunately, Ruth Anne's Occupational Therapist from Spaulding, Erin Foley arrived at the Mandarin. The tracker froze at 18.3 miles. We were tracking Ruth Anne with "Find My Phone" which eased the anxiety a bit and Erin agreed that tracking can be more stressful than running.

 

 

 

At Mile 21, Ruth Anne was greeted by Boston College students and the two women we met at the Mile 21 Spaghetti Dinner the Monday before the Marathon. She thanked them for all they did, high fived the BC students and was on her way to Cleveland Circle.

 

She was disappointed at first that the people who said they would be at Cleveland Circle weren't there but understood that it was getting late and they had children. BUT she did have a big surprise when Willa and Lily, the 13 year old twins who are our neighbors and who have known Ruth Anne their whole lives were there to greet her. A week or so before the Marathon, we bumped into them in CVS. Ruth Anne shared with them that she was running the Marathon. They said they would be out there to cheer her on. She said she probably wouldn't be there til 5 or 4:30 at the earliest and they said they didn't care. True to their word, they waited. Lily greeted her first with pom poms and then Willa chased her down Beacon Street to make sure she got a selfie with her (Willa may have gone to the bathroom).

 

It was just the boost she needed to get through those final miles! 

We kept refreshing the tracker even though we had Ruth Anne on "Find Your Phone", and got a notification that no one ever wants to receive. "Location Not Detected. This means that the runner has either left the course or data is not available." I hopped on Facebook to let people know she was fine and heading toward the Kenmore. I was so happy when Ruth Anne texted me this photo of the Citgo Sign:

We exchanged the following text: Dr. Carter is the Race for Rehab Team Psychologist and photographer.

The police officers were amazing. It was almost 6:00pm which is when they would open up Boylston Street but they were going to let her get to the finish line. "Who are we waiting for?" one of the officers asked. "Our daughter Ruth Anne." Tom ran up to Hereford Street and yelled out for her. He ran back as she ran toward the finish line for what she called the big finale.

 

 Erin took this photo:

 

And here she is at the finish line:

There is still time to donate to support Spaulding Rehab and the life saving work they do. You can read Ruth Anne's incredible journey on her fundraising page by following this link.

 To be continued...

From my heart to yours--

In health and wellness - Mary

Visit my website to learn how poetry, optimism, gratitude and the mind/body connection helped me to transform my life. After having been told in December 2006 that I should prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, I went on to cross the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and have many adventures as runnergirl 1953. Be sure to visit the recently updated News and Events Page for links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements and where you can find my incredibly inspirational story.

My books are available on Bookshop that share a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities; what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary. Be sure to visit my Author Page on Amazon   My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is receiving rave reviews and is a selection of the WBZ News Radio Book Club .

 

"Life's Tough. That's Why We Run!"

Bill Rodgers once said to me, "Life's tough. That's why we run. When we can handle the challenges on the road, we can handle the challenges in life." 

It's been a very challenging year for Team McManus and these past several months have been extremely challenging with Ruth Anne recovering from Functional Neurological Disorder. When she first experienced symptoms, we were told she had an excellent prognosis but it would take a lot of hard work. She's finishing up a series of appointments with physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy at Spaulding Rehab Hospital outpatient therapy center. The recovery has been miraculous and she continues to work hard in her home exercise program. Prior to having a diagnosis we were not sure what was happening to her or what the prognosis would be. She would lose the ability to speak and walk and experience severe weakness and numbness. When I saw the list of therapy appointments, I reminded myself that we are marathoners. We were going to take this one mile/appointment at a time. We were going to dig deep to get through this marathon of healing. Ruth Anne has 3 speech therapy appointments left and has completed her PT and OT treatments. The retraining of her brain's software continues with the exercises brilliantly prescribed by her PT and Speech Therapist. We know how fortunate we are that she was diagnosed so quickly and therapy began within a few weeks of the onset of symptoms.

Tom and Ruth Anne had an unusual training cycle for the Cape Cod Hyannis Half Maratthon last weekend. Yet they nailed their pace and time. Tom, however, tripped and fell a few feet before the finish line. He got up, got his medal and got evaluated by the medical team. On Sunday he went to Urgent Care and was told he had a hair line wrist fracture; use splint, ice and ibuprofen and see the orthopedist. Last Wednesday was an extraordinarily long day as Tom needed a CAT scan to further evaluate the need for cast vs. surgery. We thought it would be a quick in and out appointment to confirm it was healing and no further intervention  was needed. But just like a race doesn't always go as predicted, we took deep breaths to get through the miles of that day. And in the midst of Tom's wrist fracture, there was an issue with a change in Ruth Anne's health insurance. Her PCP was no longer going to accept her insurance.

I asked one of my close friends in a text, "how do we do all this?" She was jugging work and upcoming surgery for her older mom who had fractured her arm in July and now needed surgical repair. After a few moment's reflection I responded,  "Aah it;s because we are marathoners!" She totally agreed that because we tackle challenges on the road, we are physically and emotionally prepared to tackle challenges in life.

Ruth Anne's insurance situation is resolved after several phone calls and back and forth emails. Tom's surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday. It's an 8 week recovery period but he will have a 100% recovery with no residuals after the surgery heals.

No matter how challenging life may seem at times, I know that my endurance and resilience was born when I discovered the most unlikely runner within me rising after the once devastating diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome.

In health and wellness,

Mary

Visit my website to be inspired by my journey. May it ignite a spark within you to go farther than you ever believed you could. Be sure to visit the News and Events Page with links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements, where you can find my incredibly inspirational story and upcoming events.

Proud to BU is a podcast highlighting the illustrious achievements of Boston University Alumni. Here is the link to my episode.

My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon  My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is receiving rave reviews and is a selection of the WBZ News Radio Book Club.