This year, nothing stopped Atlanta husband and wife, Rick Boyd and Tara Adyanthaya, from having a wonderful Boston Marathon.
They didn’t let their fears of another terror attack get in the way. Tara didn’t let the strain to her right thigh get the best of her. And when they were done, they shared an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.
“Everyone was keenly aware that this was a special day,” said Tara, an attorney who specializes in medical ethics. “There was a heightened awareness of what a beautiful thing this is – the spirit of the Boston Marathon.”
She finished with a time of 4 hours and 12 minutes, not her best, but that was mostly because of her injury.
“I was hurting and suffering, but I realized that others had suffered more, and I needed to honor them,” she said.
Rick, an attorney with the Atlanta firm of Morris, Manning & Martin, ran his best marathon, finishing at three hours and forty-five minutes. This marked his fourth marathon and he trained hard, swearing off alcohol since February.
Having seen the carnage of last year’s attack from about 20 yards away, he worried something terrible might happen again.
“I was very nervous but I kept running,” Rick said. “Hats off to the Boston police and the military presence.”
Rick ran to raise money for the families most affected by the bombings last year. He's already surpassed $19,000. Contributors may go to Rick's Crowdrise.com page.
When the couple finished the run, they shared a big hug and had someone snap their picture.
And Rick had a beer.
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