I was thrilled to learn that my marathon time of 4:34 in 2007 qualified me to run the coveted Boston Marathon. That is, it would have qualified me on the age-graded qualifying scale if I were a 75-year-old woman.
In the meantime, I live vicariously through other Washington-area locals running the mother of all marathons, which starts its notoriously hilly race through Boston this morning. Among them is Sheena Dahlke, who’s running to raise money for Girls Gotta Run, one of the coolest non-profit organizations I’ve heard of. Washington resident Pat Ortman founded the all-volunteer group a few years ago to raise money for Ethiopian girls training to become professional runners. The girls use running as a bridge out of poverty, not to mention teenage marriage and childbirth, and to a better life.
Stay tuned for more about this fabulous organization in future posts. For today, send your best wishes to Sheena and other runners from the greater Washington area who are running their hearts out as we speak. Check back here later for results.
Amy Reinink 