The world’s oldest annual marathon
On April 15, as thousands of runners from around the world prepare to tackle the 128th Boston Marathon, we again had the opportunity to support television coverage of the race for New Hampshire residents by sponsoring the Marathon Minute on WMUR. I hope you have had a chance to see the highlights, runner features and memorable moments they have been sharing over the past few weeks as we get ready for the big day.
You might be asking why the Boston Marathon or running in general are something that our organization is such a strong supporter of. As a vocal advocate for the connection between oral health and whole body health and wellness, our organization prioritizes sponsoring organizations and events that promote living a healthy lifestyle. In this initiative, we support hundreds of road races annually in Northern New England. As a member of the running community myself, I can attest to the fact that running offers a variety of health benefits, including decreasing risk of cardiovascular disease, increasing sleep quality and making the immune system more efficient. Running boosts mood and concentration and improves overall quality of life. One of my favorite benefits that most often get overlooked are the sense of community and camaraderie that occurs in the running community and with those that participate in charitable and competitive races. Because of this we actively encourage our employee colleagues’ involvement through running or volunteering at one of the events.
Although I still run an average of 100 races a year, I won’t be participating in the Boston Marathon. However, my wife Ellen (who has been running marathons since 2015) is and I will be actively monitoring her progress and cheering her on from the sidelines, along with the other New Hampshire runners’ taking on the feat of the marathon. Ellen’s goal is to complete the course in a better time than last year. She considers the 20-mile mark a significant milestone. When she hits 20 miles, she’ll know she can finish strong. We’ll celebrate whatever victories the day brings.
Ellen can share that the path to running a marathon is long and arduous and begins with hundreds of hours of training. Because the Boston Marathon is held annually in April, much of the training happens in winter when there are fewer road races. Runners around New England run 10, 15 or more miles in early morning hours and sometimes after their workdays. A warmer than usual winter helped New Hampshire runners with their training regimens this year.
Running a race such as the prestigious Boston Marathon is the culmination of that commitment to training. Nothing quite compares to the excitement of the day. Beginning in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, where you are one among thousands of runners, volunteers, and spectators, combined with the challenges of the terrain (like Heartbreak Hill), marathon runners have a variety of reasons to run a race that takes a few hours for elite athletes but several more hours for most of us. In conversations I have had with marathon runners the sense of personal accomplishment, pushing mind and body to its limits and enjoying the endorphin rush are also some of the top reasons. Some run in memory of a loved one; some run to raise money for a charity, regardless of the ‘why’, the accomplishment is no small task and should be celebrated.
Ellen and I treasure the relationships we’ve developed through running. Over our years being part of this community we have heard so many untold stories from fellow runners who inspire us that we co-wrote a book with the help of Erika Alison Cohen called “Stories from the Starting Line”, a collection of stories told by runners about their running experiences. Chapter 4 is on marathon running and includes the contributions of several marathon runners. Our book is available on Amazon and at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord and Bookery in Manchester.
Please join me on Patriots’ Day as I watch the Marathon Minute coverage on WMUR and cheer on Ellen and the other runners that have made the commitment to crossing the finish line. Let’s cheer for every one of the more than 20,000 runners expected to run the 128th Boston Marathon—honoring their hard work and personal sacrifice that got them there!
