For Scott Rigsby, the Boston Marathon is personal. The University of Georgia graduate will be at the starting line bright and early Monday for the fourth time. He was there on that sunny Patriot's Day two years ago, when bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three people and injuring 260 others.
The bombing changed Rigsby’s life in ways he never imagined and bonded him with the people of Boston forever. His foundation works to raise money for marathon survivors and support the work of rehab facilities.
When he was 18, he lost his legs after a car accident. He and some other men were riding on the back of a landscaping truck when a tractor-trailer slammed into them. Since then, he’s had dozens of surgeries on his legs and feet. He runs with prosthetic legs and has competed in several iron man competitions and marathons.
On the day of the bombing, Rigsby, now 46, wasn’t near the site where the bombs were placed but may have been if he and his running partner hadn’t stopped to take pictures with other runners.
When the bombs exploded, “the runners literally started turning around,” he said. “Had we not procrastinated we would have been right in the middle of all that stuff.”
The race day began beautifully, he recalls. People were enjoying a day off from work and school and lined the streets on a picture-perfect spring day. The route is fairly straight, and runs directly into Boston’s picturesque downtown.
The events of that day changed his life path. Rigsby, who works as a motivational speaker, now runs a nonprofit organization that has raised more than $200,000 for the people of Boston and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. The Sandy Springs man's foundation works to inspire, inform and enable individuals with disabilities to live a healthy, active lifestyle. That work has expanded to help bombing survivors and their families.
Holiday Inn has joined with Rigsby’s foundation as part of its “Journey to Extraordinary” campaign, which began in 2014. The marketing campaign was created to celebrate the inspiring journeys of the brand’s many guests by sharing their unique personal stories.
In the 1990s, Rigsby developed a close relationship with Julie Hilton, now a vice president with Hilton Inc., the management company for Holiday Inn Resort in Panama City Beach, Fla. Rigsby had come to the town for some rehabilitation after complications with his second amputation. At the time, he wasn’t sure what his insurance company would cover and needed a place to stay, Hilton said.
“It just seemed like the right thing to do,” she said. “He has wonderful faith and perseverance. He is inspirational to many of us.”
Rigsby’s foundation has also helped the foundation started by the family of Martin Richard, the 8-year-0ld boy who was killed in the bombing.
“We gave them over $30,000 last year,” he said. “With that money, they will make adaptive playground equipment for kids with special needs.”
Rigsby’s older brother, Tim Rigsby, was born with physical and mental challenges. Doctors told his parents he wouldn’t live longer than a few years. Tim Rigsby is now 50 years old and lives and works in Camilla, Ga., their hometown.
Rigsby continues to inspire those who know him.
“When describing Scott, ‘extraordinary’ barely scratches the surface,” said Heather Balsley, senior vice president, Americas Brand Management, InterContinental Hotels Group (the parent company of Holiday Inn). “The work that he does on a daily basis to help others persevere through significant life challenges, whether with patients at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, men and women of the armed forces, or the many others whose lives he touches, is truly inspiring.”
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