TWO SAINTS OVERCOME 26.2; FINISH THE 2011 BOSTON MARATHON

April 26, 2011

It is without question that Patriot's Day is widely recognized as one of the most popular holidays around Boston. Many schools are closed, the Red Sox take the field before lunchtime and the streets are lined with thousands and thousands of people looking to cheer on friends and neighbors running the grueling 26.2 mile race that stretches from Hopkinton to Boston.

While everyone enjoys having a Monday off and taking advantage of a break in the weather that signals the coming of summer, two Emmanuel student-athletes decided to suit up for the 2011 Boston Marathon and make the journey of a lifetime.

Senior Kelsey Fitzpatrick (Milford, Mass.) and sophomore Sarah Maki (Quincy, Mass.) are no strangers to hard work, having played together this past fall on the Saints' women's soccer team. However, each needed to boost their training when they decided to run the race earlier this year.

"This was my second marathon" Maki said. "I ran my first Boston Marathon the week after I turned 18. I have been volunteering for Mass. General for six years and have always wanted to be involved in the marathon program. I met Kelsey on the soccer team this fall and somehow coaxed her into it."

Being no stranger to Marathon Monday, Fitzpatrick embraced the task with open arms, looking to follow in her family's footsteps.

"My mom has done it for a couple years," she said. "We always went and supported her so it was always something in the back of my mind that I wanted to do, but never had the opportunity to train and get a number."

The two had a special goal in mind when preparing for the route, and it was not just simply to cross the finish line. Both had planned on running in support of the pediatric hematology-oncology program at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, but were touched when they were contacted to race for a young boy.

"I met David two years ago when he was five," Maki recalled. "He has leukemia and when we decided to run, we were contacted to see if we would run for him. He is one of the most precious little boys you will ever see and he is always smiling."

With hope in hand and the training behind them, the two began the race with excitement flowing throughout their bodies. That feeling lasted a while as they weaved through the towns leading to the city, but not without some hurdles along the way.

"Miles 14-19 is probably the biggest struggle," Fitzpatrick said. "You feel pains that you've never felt in your life before. People will say it's Heartbreak Hill that's tough, but it's the Newton Hills that do it. They are steep and long."

"There was even a point at Mile 17 when my quads started twitching without stopping." Maki echoed her friend, reminiscing about the many ways they attempted to pass the time.

"We were singing to one another and waving our arms to get people's attention to cheer for us, she said."

"Anything we could do to get our minds off the pain, we did." Ultimately, the two made their way on to Beacon Street, past the cheering Emmanuel students and all the way to the finish.

"When we hit that final corner, someone yelled `1,000 meters' and we started sprinting," Maki said with a smile. "Just seeing that huge banner and being with my best friend was really cool."

Both agreed that it was absolutely worth every bit of effort that it took to get from start to finish, as well as the two days of pain afterwards. While they said they agreed that they were not ready to compete again in the near future, they definitely left the door open for a potential sequel.

"We say that we don't want to do it again now," they said together. "But wait until next December when people start talking about it and we'll see where we are."