City runners keep Broncos victims on mind During Boston race
Humboldt Broncos, victims of 2013 race among those remembered at marathon
The 122nd Boston Marathon was more than a race for some of Saskatchewan’s long-distance runners.
All of the participants in Monday’s event had to brave high winds, steady rain and bitterly cold temperatures while running the 42.2-kilometre marathon.
For some Regina runners, the inclement weather was merely an inconvenience considering what Saskatchewan residents are dealing with after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6 left 29 people dead or injured.
“There were two things that I kept thinking about,” Regina’s Patti Sandison-Cattell said from Boston. “One was there were people who wish they were running who may never run again.
“Then you think about what happened in Saskatchewan last week. We’re tough and you had to dig deep because there are a lot of people who wish that they were where I was. I shouldn’t complain that I was cold.”
Jennifer and Vern Masur attended the funeral for Broncos player Adam Herold on Friday in Montmartre before heading to Boston on the weekend. Herold was one of 16 people killed in the crash involving the Broncos’ bus and a semi-trailer truck.
At the start line in Boston, the Masurs noticed that a woman had “Humboldt Strong” on her race tag. After striking up a conversation with her, they learned she had a 20-year-old son who had played junior hockey and was close in age to the Broncos who were injured or killed.
Before the marathon, the Masurs were presented with hoodies labelled with “Humboldt Strong ” and they added crests with “Humboldt Strong ” and “Canada Strong ” to their running shirts.
“We made a comment before it started that these conditions sucked, but the issues that we were having weren’t anything compared to all of the tragedy in the world that people are dealing with,” Vern said. “The race was the same distance (as other marathons) with just tougher weather conditions.”
Stacey Cattell, Sandison-Cattell’s husband, is the Regina Pats’ chief operating officer. Broncos goaltender Jacob Wassermann, who played in two games with the Pats this season, remains in a hospital while dealing with his injuries from the crash.
“I thought about that boy a lot,” Sandison-Cattell said. “I was hurting and I was cold, but I could still be (in Boston). It does put a little bit more meaning behind it.”
Monday’s Boston Marathon took place five years after a bombing attack left three dead and hundreds injured near the finish line. Race organizers marked the anniversary with remembrances, moments of silence and the laying of wreaths. There was also a special memorial at the fifth mile on the route.
“You breathe a little deeper because you know there was a little more meaning to this race than to others,” Sandison-Cattell said. “I felt honoured to be running down that stretch and remembering what happened five years ago. We’re all still here and we’re all still running. It wasn’t the best of days, but we were doing it for the right reasons.”
Monday ’s Boston Marathon was the first for all three of the Regina runners. The Masurs marked that accomplishment by running together throughout the race route. They held hands while crossing the finish line in three hours 58 minutes 56 seconds.
“It was very emotional and I was choking up before we crossed the finish line,” Jennifer said. “Going in, we said we were going to do this together because it was something that we wanted to put on our bucket list. We put our other goals aside and it was very emotional.”
Sandison-Cattell finished her first Boston Marathon in 4:38:22.
“I never pictured myself running the Boston Marathon,” she said. “It wasn’t on my bucket list and it just fell into my bucket list. So here I am and it was quite the adventure.”
You breathe a little deeper because you know there was a little more meaning to this race than to others.