Point Marion woman finishes Boston strong
After competing in the Boston Marathon, a Point Marion woman took a moment to reflect about how it was no ordinary race.
鈥淭hat was absolutely awesome,鈥� said Mary Salisbury-Hubeaut on Tuesday, the day after she completed the 26.2-mile race.
Moments after Hubeaut set her suitcase on her kitchen floor, she was talking about the race that captured the nation蘑菇视频 heart.
鈥淭here were so many people there to express their support while we were running. Lots of people were standing on sidewalks and streets along the route 鈥� they must have been five deep. It was loud.鈥�
Hubeaut said her name was written on her arm so that it was visible for people near and far to see during the marathon.
鈥淚 usually wear headphones when I鈥檓 running to keep me motivated,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople were cheering for me, yelling my name, so that I didn鈥檛 need the music to keep going.鈥�
The marathon was marred by tragedy last year when bombs injured at least 264 people. The bombs went off near the finish line. Some runners who had toiled mile after mile had their legs blown off. An 8-year-old boy was among the three people killed.
Hubeaut said she felt safe the entire time.
鈥淎s you know, nothing happened. I felt very safe,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 saw sharpshooters on the tops of buildings. There were police everywhere. And people watched out for each other.鈥�
The city and the nation rallied this year to celebrate the enduring strength of the human spirit. Hubeaut said there were many motivational signs along the route proclaiming 鈥淏oston Strong.鈥� One sign she remembers was: 鈥淭his is what you trained for.鈥�
Hubeaut said during the marathon she saw a variety of people doing their best to complete the long race. She saw blind runners who were tethered to those who could guide them along the route. She saw amputees, perhaps those who were injured by the blasts, seeking to live the dream by completing the course.
But, most touching, Hubeaut said, was that she saw Dick Hoyt push his son Rick, who has cerebral palsy, in a wheelchair along the route. Rick Hoyt, 52, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after he was born, because the umbilical cord restricted oxygen flow to his brain during birth. Team Hoyt was about a mile away from the finish when the bombs exploded in 2013. Hubeaut said it was very moving seeing father and son in what may be their last Boston Marathon.
No matter who you are, a marathon is a challenging race, and Boston is no light jog along the scenic but flat rail-trail in Boston, Allegheny County, which hosted its own half marathon, Saturday.
Hubeaut, 47, a former smoker, said she kept a steady pace at about 8:31 per mile, though she slowed a bit toward the end as most runners do.
鈥淚 hit the wall at around the 18-mile mark, so I slowed down just a tad,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y muscles started to go, but I didn鈥檛 stop the whole way. I knew that if I stopped, I was done. I kept going.鈥�
Like many long-distance runners, Hubeaut played a mental math trick to stay in the race when her body, mind and soul were cajoling, maybe even yelling, for her to quit. There was also crowd support that helped her scale 鈥渢he wall.鈥�
鈥淲hen I got to the hill at mile 20, I just started counting backwards by saying I have six miles to go, five miles to go and so on,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 remember that, between miles 23 and 26, people were screaming the entire way for me to get to the finish.鈥�
She finished the race in about 3 hours and 47 minutes.
鈥淚 wanted to get in under 4 hours, and I did it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was happy to see the finish line 鈥� very relieved to cross that line.鈥�
Hubeaut said the end was bittersweet, but it was a good day to run.
鈥淔inishing the race was very emotional, especially when you think about what happened last year,鈥� she said.