The 2008 Walk marked two different events in my life. I have now done more Jimmy Fund Walk (11) than Pan Massachusetts Challenges (PMC) (10). It was also the walk where I was at the heaviest weight wise. The former was something to celebrate, the latter wasn't.
I quickly gave up any thought of staying for the pasta dinner after arriving in Wellesley. The "official" half way point is Wellesley High School, some 14.1 miles from Hopkinton. Wellesley high was having a football game at the time and every available parking spot was taken.
Sunday brought changes to those starting off in Hopkinton. Parking was changed from Colella's Supermarket, a short distance to the start line, to one of the schools in Hopkinton some three quarters of a mile away, where shuttle busses would take you to the start point. This was brought about due to a new official walk from Hopkinton to Wellesley, resulting in more walkers starting off in Hopkinton. Temperature at start time was in the low 60 degrees F, eventually warming up to mid 75 degrees F, not quite ideal for a walk, as I would have preferred about 10 degrees colder. Warmer temperatures cause the feet to sweat, which leads to blisters and other problems. I left at 6:15 after having a cup of coffee and a bagel. I managed to bring my GPS watch with me after three years of either forgetting to bring it or inadvertently leaving the watch on while driving up from New Jersey, resulting in a dead battery.
The water stops this year were functional, not decorative as in past years. I managed to touch base at the first water stop with the head photographer with the PMC, who I worked for the past three years as a PMC photographer. He was using a Nikon D3 with a 200 mm/f2.0 lens with a monopod. I teased him and said if he was shooting Canon he wouldn't need a monopod. To be truthful I now shoot both systems, with a Canon 1DMKIII and 1DMKIIN, along with a Nikon D700. I was using a Canon G9, a point and shot, for the walk.
A "dot" is placed on your bib by a volunteer at every water stop. This signifies that one has completed that portion of the walk since the last water stop. It is also a way for one to determine where a walker started from. A Hopkinton walker is going to have twice as many dots on their bibs as a Wellesley walker. A Pacesetter, someone who raises more than $1,000, was identified with a blue t-shirt, while the others were wearing a white t-shirt. Volunteers wore yellow t-shirts. Bib numbers were issued in relationship as to how much one raised. My bib number was 358, which meant I was 199 out of 7,000 walkers who raised money in 2007. In twenty-one years I raised over $65,000 in memory of my parents.
A picture of a different patient was placed at every mile along the walk, with a small story of that person's hobbies and dreams of what they want to do in the future. It was a gentle reminder of why we were walking. Adults were used for some of the pictures, a first time for the Walk. There's one gentleman who, along with his golden retriever, has a big stereo system, in which he plays different music to cheer the walkers on their way. It was great to see him as I went to shake his hand and say thank you.
I was wondering what the Jimmy Fund was thinking about when I came to what I thought was an official water stop. The location was such that one had to cross the street to get to it. It turned out some local company was giving out Fuze, some kind of low calorie vitamin drink. Turns out the company, Fuze Beverage, is heavily involved in many charitable events (http://www.drinkfuze.com). Nice touch.
One disadvantage to taking a point and shoot is the long shutter lag time from
pushing the button until the camera takes a picture. It made it hard to take a
picture of the volunteer inline skaters from the Inline Club of Boston. I
resolved to start Weight Watchers, lose the weight for good, and weather
permitting take one of my professional cameras on the walk next year.
I realized at the 11-mile point that I was not going to make it into Boston on my own power, so I decided to try and make it to Wellesley High School, the Jimmy Fund Walk's official half way point, some 14.1 miles into the walk. My thoughts were on some of my friends and family who either died or had cancer. I lost a very dear friend, my former bicycle dealer in New Hampshire, to cancer last year. One of my sponsors this year came down with cancer. My brother is now in remission. I may be joining the list next year as my PSA levels are trending upwards. Time will tell on that one. I do know I'm going to be undergoing a very unpleasant prostate biopsy next year. I finally got into Wellesley where I was asked if I was finishing there or continuing on to Boston. I said I was finishing in Wellesley. I received my medal, grabbed a bite to eat, and took a bus back to Hopkinton.
There were many people I thought of dedicating my walk to this year. My original plans were of my brother, but that went by the wayside with my possible diagnosis of prostate cancer. I'm concerned but not worried if I have prostate cancer. If I do have prostate cancer, it is caught early and the chances of a successful outcome approach 100%. It comes down to the person who I first rode for in a two day 194 bicycle ride called the Pan Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) some twenty years ago. That person never knew about going through preventive medical procedures. He gave it his best fighting this disease, but even the strongest man in the world couldn't beat cancer. I swore to my God on the day this man was being put in the ground that I would continue to raise money in his name for cancer research, and do my best not to die of cancer due to lack of early detection. I am proud to say that man was my father. My 2008 Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk is herby dedicated in memory of my father, Joseph Albert Richards, the strongest man in the world. I miss you daddy.
Mom and dad would be proud. Thank you and may
God Bless. Until next year.
Brian M Richards