There's no way I could spend four years in Boston and not do this. But as a college student, it was too hard to train for the full distance. You could hear the hum a half-mile away. As I came through Wellesley, I couldn't even feel myself running. An hour after Rebekah gathers up her gear and heads back to the dorm, police start taking down the barricades.
Cars now outnumber runners on the road.
Most of the students have left, too, gone to a party at Munger Meadow or to the library to study. Only two holdouts remain, Rebecca and Keisha, and their vigil is rewarded. Another marathoner comes into view, a woman who has slowed to a walk. Nonetheless, Rebecca and Keisha give her the full Wellesley reception, if at a slightly softer volume. Next year I'll be ready.