Community Corner

Medfield's Marathoner Heather Mayer Says She Can Now Start to Heal and Celebrate Her Achievement

Heather Mayer Irvine ran this year's Boston Marathon and crossed the finish line just minutes before the bombs exploded. Here she talks about the suspect's capture and what that means to her.

 

Now that the second Boston Marathon bombing suspect has been captured (and now criminally charged), Heather Mayer Irvine says her emotional healing can begin.

Irvine, who grew up in Medfield, ran the Boston Marathon which she calls a "bittersweet accomplishment." She crossed the finish line just minutes before the bombs exploded at 2:50 p.m. on April 15, 2013. 

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She details her experience in a Patch blog called "Running Boston: A Medfield Native's Bittersweet Accomplishment."   

Friday's apprehension of suspect number two brought her some solace. 

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"Once they found the suspects, this huge sense of relief washed over me, I could start to celebrate my achievement, albeit with a heavy heart." Irvine said, acknowledging she had been glued to the television during the pursuit.

"I hope we get some answers, but more importantly I hope we can all begin to heal," she said. 

As she said in her blog,

But I'm a marathoner now. I've proven to myself and the city of Boston that I can persevere through physical and mental toil. My legs are resilient. Days after conquering the unforgiving course, I can make my way down the stairs without holding onto a railing. My mind is resilient. The tears come less now. But it's hard to hear people call my finish line a crime scene. But I'm a marathoner. I will overcome. And more importantly, I will toe the line in Hopkinton in 2014.

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