This is my long overdue Boston Marathon spectator post. I managed to get sick which is why I haven't written before now. First I would like to congratulate everyone who ran! The weather conditions were less than desirable. Thank you to all the Northeast Deads who made this trip so much fun. It was great seeing familiar faces and meeting some new folks as well. I really enjoyed the dinner at Big City on Saturday night. Robin, thank you for sharing your incredible photo album of the Deads' trek to Europe last year. You did an awesome job putting it together! For anyone who hasn't seen this album, get Robin to share it with you if you get a chance. Robin I hope you were able to get the Disney posters I left for you at the hotel. Sunday was Val's bagel brunch but unfortuantely I'm sorry to say Dennis and I were unable to make it. We had every intention of going but the travel logistics just didn't work out.
I had a sore throat on Monday morning but chalked it up to allergies. Little did I know at the time that my sore throat would blossom into a rather nasty little bug. Anyway, another couple, Jay and Pam, who are friends of ours from the Clear Lake area were in Boston. Jay was running; Pam was not. So Monday morning Pam and I went to breakfast and then took the train to somewhere around the 16-17 mile mark. It was overcast and I was happy to see that although the humidity was 100%, it was still overcast and not quite as warm as was originally predicted. Pam and I staked our claim to a spot just beyond the bridge close to the Powergel station. I was supposed to see some other Deads around there but didn't manage to connect. Sorry I missed you. Jay came through pretty much when expected and just before Dennis. I was getting a little anxious because I knew the weather was not good. Then I saw Dennis and called his name. He heard me and managed a smile and grabbed my hand as he ran past. But the look on his face before he saw me was not good. I knew he was going to have trouble and based on his past problems with dehydration I was a bit concerned. Pam and I headed back to the finish line area. Once there we parted ways vowing to catch up with one another later. I headed for the letter "D" in the family reunion area which is where Dennis and I agreed to meet. Runners who had finished were streaming through with their bags and meeting their friends and loved ones. I waited. Five minutes passed, then 10, 15, 20. By now it was after 4:00 p.m. I was playing the rationalization game while checking the numbers of other runners. I didn't see too many in Dennis's range. I knew he would be tired and need to recover a little; getting bags could take a while. Then I heard sirens and that certainly didn't help as I continued to wait...and wait...and wait... Suddenly from behind me I heard a faint voice,
Gaye...Gaye...where are you?????" I turned around and there was Dennis looking completely spent. I could tell he was dehydrated. We got him into his warmup jacket and slowly headed back towards the hotel. Along the way we stopped at the YMCA where I helped Dennis get his warmup pants on and got him some water. He ate some potato chips and drank some of the water. We stopped several times going back to the hotel. One time when Dennis was stopped, bent over with his hands resting on a wall, a pretty young girl came by and patted him on the back and congratulated him. We continued on...about five minutes later he stopped again. Do you think he wanted more of that sort of attention??? :-)) I thought that was very nice of her and I know it really did help. Once back at the hotel, Dennis recovered nicely after some chicken soup, a Coke, and a nice hot shower. We went out to eat and at about 8:00 p.m. saw runners and walkers still finishing! Tuesday morning we headed back to Houston. I know Dennis was a little disappointed with his time but I still think he's awesome! :o)