The 2013 Boston Marathon: Up Close and Personal

Editor's Note: Long-time Patch contributor, guest editor and avid runner Mira Reverente shares her 2013 Boston Marathon experience as a spectator before and after the bombs went off.

The Boston Marathon is a long-term goal for most marathoners and serious runners. I thought that the closest I would ever get to it is by cheering and writing about the experiences of close friends who are fast enough to qualify year after year.

Media pass in tow, I was off to the finish line area on Monday, April 15, around noon, to wait and cheer for my friends, and to gawk at the elite runners from Kenya and Ethiopia.

Two of my friends crossed the finish line with a time of about 3:21 or about 40-50 minutes before the two bombs went off. 

I was across the street and just a few yards away from the location of the first bomb. But my friends and I had left the area by then to get some snacks and rejoin family members. One friend was diverted from the finish line and not allowed to finish.

We all shudder at the thought of a million "what ifs." What if the first two friends finished slower than usual? What if there were no family members to rejoin? What if we didn't need any snacks? What if...?

Life is indeed short. Marathoner or not, we have to enjoy the process and live life to the fullest. Run as if it were your last race!