The Last Mile

On April 18, 2011, I ran my first Boston Marathon. Around mile 18 my legs started to cramp up, and on the downhill stretch after Heartbreak Hill, my left calf just locked up. I was in severe pain.

A young woman came out of the crowd and said that she was a nurse. She immediately massaged my calf and began to calm me down. The cramp in my calf began to loosen and I was able to walk over to the side of the street where another young woman introduced herself—she was also a nurse. They both told me to make sure to drink Gatorade at the water stops and walked a little bit with me to ensure that I was okay. I thanked them and continued walking on my way.

Around mile 23, I heard someone calling my name, and the two nurses—Kelly Dalton, RN, and Sarah Bryant—came running up behind me. I was amazed. They continued to walk with me, encouraging the crowd to cheer my name. As we walked and talked I told them that I had raised money for Cops for Kids with Cancer, and they told me that they were nurses in the Oncology Department at Children’s Hospital Boston.

With my personal, world-class medical staff by my side, I began to run again. Kelly and Sarah continued to pump up the crowd and ran with me from about mile 25 through Kenmore Square and onto Boylston Street. I said that they should cross the finish line with me, but they dropped back and told me that I had to do it on my own.

There is no way to truly express how I felt about what they did for me. It was truly amazing!

Sincerely,

Chris Pawl