Sean Astin's Boston Marathon Report

Submitted by Sean Astin, @SeanAstin

Boston Marathon 2015. Finish Line.

Denise and Jane Richard are cheering and smiling as each of the 73 members of their Team MR8 come across.

I did what I said, and tried to honor young Martin Richard (8yrs old) as I passed the site of the tragedy by reflecting on everything that happened that day and since. After 4 hours and 49 minutes of cold and rainy 26.2 mile crowd fueled, leg demolishing awesomeness, I had prepared myself to end the run on a note of reverence.

Then there they were, Jane (9 years old), standing, jumping up and down with her prosthetic leg, courtesy of that awful day, and Martin's mom, Denise with a huge smile of, can you believe it, gratitude of all things. A smile back and a kiss on the hand later, I turned and lost it.

News media and others were around, so I bottled it, but something wonderful happens inside when the electricity of greatness visits you. This family showed no fear, not a shred of perceptible anxiety, even if they privately had some. They were enjoying themselves. What a lesson. What an incredible demonstration, not just of resilience and faith and goodness, but of grace and wisdom. It's people like this that are the best hope for advancing our too often beleaguered civilization. This is what progress looks like.

My answer was to race back to the starting line in Hopkinton and, alone in the dark and comically stormy night, cycle my way back across the 26.2 mile Marathon route. Even though they had a 2.5 hour head start, I caught up with race director Dave McGillivray and his intrepid amphibious running mates and their motorcade, 800 yards from the finish line.

Unreal.

That duathlon was the official kickoff to my Ironman Kona training. October 10th on the Big Island of Hawaii, I'm gonna test myself again.

But for now, I'll simply saturate in yesterday's overwhelming and gratifying experience.

Our Team MR8 raised over $770,000. My friends, family, colleagues, supporters, fans and all of you here on social media, sponsored my run and raised $23,000. There were, I believe 450 of you, and I estimate that the average donation was between $25 and $50, with a few people putting in $1k or more that jacked the number up a little higher.

You all gave the Richard Family and the foundation they established in their late son's honor a financial boost. This money equals just a little more power to help a bunch of people. Good work, everyone! I thank you with every fiber of my being.

As for all of you who made personal ‪#‎run3rd‬ dedications for your loved ones and causes close to you, I read them all and I carried them all in my heart as I ran. As predicted, Team MR8 and your trust bolstered my run so so much. So, thank you for those.

You can still donate to the Team so if you feel like it, here's the link: firstgiving.com/fundraiser/SeanAstin/bostonmarathon2015


Much Love, Respect & Gratitude Always,

Yours,
Sean

Originally posted on Sean Astin' Facebook page.