A day after Rosemary O’Connell completed her first Boston Marathon, she was sore and walking slow.
The longtime Redmond resident was also elated to have finished the 26.2-mile race on Monday and proud to be part of team MR8 that ran in honor of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old who was killed in the 2013 marathon bombings. At press time, the 77-member team had raised $756,000 for the MR8 Charitable Foundation, which promotes education, athletics and community. O’Connell, 55, has raised $5,860 herself.
“It was very emotional crossing the finish line, thinking of Martin and all the victims and their families,” O’Connell said. “The crowd was very supportive of the MR8 Team and I thought of all the people who supported me to get me through.”
Added Brianna May, O’Connell’s 24-year-old daughter: “I am so proud of her efforts preparing for and racing this marathon. She ran with so much heart, as did all the Boston finishers.”
O’Connell, who finished the race in 4:24.13, was one of eight Redmond runners to tackle the 119th Boston Marathon on Monday.
Martin’s mom, Denise, sent all the team members a photo of her son running his last race in a youth relay on marathon weekend in 2013. A note said, “Wishing you the same spirit on race day,” and it inspired the runners, many of whom wore the photo during the marathon.
When O’Connell heard of the 2013 bombings, she vowed that if she qualified for the Boston Marathon, she would run for a charity for the survivors or in memory of the victims.
“I was distressed that anyone would hurt people spectating at the marathon. The marathon, to me, is a peaceful event where runners are on a personal journey,” she said.
O’Connell is a lifelong runner who participated in three marathons in her 20s and qualified for the Boston event at the Portland Marathon last year.
It was a tough run on Monday and the participants were faced with cold and rainy conditions and a headwind.
Martin and the other victims and survivors in 2013 were often on O’Connell’s mind: “When I had pain, I thought of them,” she said.
O’Connell, who works at several Swedish hospital locations, said her husband, three daughters and friends were supportive, inspiring and generous on the fundraising end.
As far as training goes, O’Connell was a fixture on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail (“It’s a godsend for the long runs. It is a jewel in the trail system here,” she said) and ran hill repeats on the Tolt Pipeline trail off Avondale Road, which gave her strength to conquer Newton Hill/Heartbreak Hill at the Boston Marathon.
FIRST TIMER
Darryln McDonough, 18, runs the 100- and 200-meter events for The Bear Creek School, but the Redmond resident upped her game with an ultra-long-distance race at the Boston Marathon.
She finished the race in 6:40.41 and was glad to be back on her home turf of Boston after moving to Redmond 10 years ago. She remembers attending the marathon as a youngster and watching along the fences and railings.
“The first 13 miles were fantastic — I was running on adrenaline and soaking up the experience,” said McDonough, who added that the cold and wind affected her the second half to the race. When she crossed the finish line and received her medal, a feeling of satisfaction kicked in as she glanced around at the large crowd.
It was the first marathon for McDonough, a Bear Creek senior who also plays soccer and basketball at the local school, and she got the nod to run because one of her family members works for the Boston Athletic Association and gave her a time waiver.
McDonough arrived back home on Wednesday evening and was back in school on Thursday … “running on some caffeine,” she laughed.
Like O’Connell, McDonough thought about the 2013 bombing victims and survivors while she ran the marathon and was motivated to finish for them, as well. She said there was a two-year memorial the Wednesday before the race and flowers and signs dotted the course.
“The Boston Strong mantra was everywhere,” said McDonough, who added that spectators were cheering for the runners the whole way. “The bombings had a big impact on the whole city of Boston. It’s incredibly personal for everyone who goes, and everyone has a different story.”
REDMOND CREW
The other Redmond runners, with their ages and times, were: Kendra Bohm, 36 (3:34.47); Vic Horne, 53 (2:57.30); Wanwen Qi, 39 (3:29.11); Robin Sayed, 45 (3:26.05); Brig Seidl, 52 (3:16.11) and Francis Stanbury, 30 (2:59.12).
Monica Engquist, 34, qualified for the Boston Marathon via the Tacoma Marathon, but didn’t run on Monday because she injured her right knee training in Santa Cruz.
