Brian M. Richards
Hopkinton to Copley Square
September 18, 2005

The day before the walk I had a private mission that spans over eighty six years. My father, just before he died in 1988, mentioned that he never was alive to see the Boston Red Sox win a World Series. Having remembered the 1967, 1975, and 1986 World Series, especially game six of the 1986 Series with and the infamous Bill Buckner flub, I said, At the rate they are going, neither will I dad, neither will I. I stopped by my parent’s grave to pay my respects, and then said “Hey dad, the Red Sox did it. They finally won a World Series”. I went to my car and pulled out a Boston Red Sox ball cap and left it on his grave. Some will say I threw away a ball cap, but I want to believe that the hat made its way to heaven. I then asked my parents to ask my Uncle Mile, who passed away earlier this year in his struggle with prostrate cancer, to be with m on Sunday as I attempt to walk 26.2 miles. I then stood at attention, and saluted my father, the strongest man in the world. With tears in my eyes I got in my car and left to head to my brother’s house. I wanted so bad to believe the hat made its way to heaven.

I arrived in Hopkinton at 5:15 AM Sunday morning, and quickly realized I left my GPS watch at my brother’s house, some twenty nine miles away. Suddenly, the watch lost its importance seeing that gasoline was going for three dollars a gallon for gasoline. My decision to for go using the GPS watch this year was influenced by the walk itself. The Jimmy Fund Places pictures of patients every mile to remind the walkers about the mission of Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

I grabbed a cup of coffee and a couple of donuts, and waited until 6:15 AM before starting my walk. The official start time from Hopkinton is 7 AM, but I like leaving early to avoid the mass crunch of 2,000 walkers leaving at the same time. Weather was clear and in the low sixties. I trained in New Balance 1122, which provides arch supports for the older more mature walker (nice words for saying over the hill), and I went back to a thicker sock. In addition to carrying my camera equipment, I carried two pairs of socks and a small jar of petroleum jelly for the feet. I had a brace which provides support for my left knee. It is a stiffer brace than one I normally wear, so I was concerned if I would be able to walk the 26.2 miles without knee pain. I was not on any pain medication. I also carried a Canon 20D digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera with two lenses.

It appears that different organizations or groups of people man the water stops. I made it a point to go up to all the volunteers and tell them they were the heroes of the day. The water stops to me were energy stops, as I took the energy from the smiling volunteers and transferred it to me. The one pleasant surprised along the walk were so many walkers from past years recognizing me by calling out my first name. It overwhelmed me. I guess keeping a cheery attitude and a positive attitude no matter how much pain I might be in puts quite an impression on people.

It was nice to see young adults dressed up as super heroes at the second water stop. Makes for a pleasant diversion. There was this gentleman who showed up at different places along the walk with his dog and boom box cheering the walkers along. He must have seen me coming at the 10-mile point because he played “Walk Like a Man” by no other than Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, my favorite singing group. I just pictured my father saying “walk like a man my son”. That was a big morale boost. I told one walker that the words to “Walk Like a Man” are not politically correct, but I loved the song. Another gentleman had his daughters dressed up in pink to cheer the walkers along several parts of the route. They had the word S.O.C.S. on their shirts and signs, which stood for “Seeking Out a Cure with Sneakers”. I saw them for the first time last year. The energy stop I enjoyed the most was where a young woman was playing the bongo drums. It seemed everywhere I went people would smile for me when I took my camera out to take a picture of them. I switched over from the 17-35 mm lens to the 10-22 mm lens early in the walk. I felt getting closer to the volunteers was important. One has to multiply by 1.6 the mm equivalent lens on a Canon 20D DSLR, because the sensor size is 62.5% the area of a traditional 35 mm SLR. So the 10-22 mm lens is actually a 16-35 mm lens on a Canon 20D. The Canon 20D is an eight million pixel camera, leaving plenty of room to crop and still have a decent picture.

One of the more interesting set of volunteers were from the Inline Club of Boston. The Inline Club of Boston (more fondly known as the ICB) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992. It consists of concerned, dedicated skaters who have a wide variety of professions, skating abilities, and skating goals. In addition to providing help for walkers in distress, each member who participates in the walk has to raise the minimum of two hundred dollars required from each walker. I always enjoy seeing them on the walk.

I was feeling quite cocky when I arrived in Wellesley High School at the 13.1 mile point for lunch. I stopped at the medical tent to tell the volunteers that I didn’t need any help like I did last year. I thanked them for volunteering, and then went to grab three sandwiches and some fruit juice, which I quickly ate. I was taking some pictures of the start of the Wellesley portion of the walk when a young family asked me to take a picture of them, thinking I was an official Jimmy Fund photographer. They were shocked afterwards when I told them I was a fellow walker. I told them to contact the Jimmy Fund office in October for the pictures, I made a mental note to have some business cards made up for next year with my name, web site, and email address on it to give to friends I meet along the walk.

The next few miles were uneventful, with the exception that the energy stops were not as decorated, with the exception of the Cape Cod Potato Chip stop, a perennial favorite among the walkers. The lighthouse (not shown in the picture) was a lot smaller then one used in years past.

The steepest hills of the walk is not Heartbreak Hill, which is at the twenty mile point. The steepest hill going down is at Hopkinton, while the steepest hill going up is up takes place in Newton after the sixteen mile point. I started having problems sometime after the eighteen mile point; I decided to put on a clean pair of socks. I was surprised the pair I was wearing were not soaked in sweat. I managed to go another three miles before I realized I was starting to blister up just to the side of the balls of my feet. Frankie and the boys literally made their appearance at the Boston College stop, as the DJ was playing “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)”. I put some petroleum jelly on my feet, and went on my way. I was fine if I kept walking, as the endorphins masked the pain. Problem is I would stop to get water or take a picture, and starting to walk again was excruciating. My arthritic left knee was starting to bother me, but I think the pain had top do more with walking twenty one miles than with the osteoarthritis I have in that knee. I had a friend that was coming in from the 26.2 mile point to meet me. We would call each other at the different mile markers to let each other know where we were at. I met up with my friend after the twenty four mile point. Having my friend helped got my mind off the pain,

The big morale boost is the twenty five mile point, where one sees the famous Citgo sign that is seen outside Fenway Park. I’m old enough to remember the sign being green and white and saying City Services. I looked over to my right and saw Fenway Park. I started to tear up thinking about the ball game my mother took me in 1960 to see Ted Williams play his last game, and maybe I was dreaming this, but I could have sworn I saw my dad wearing a Red Sox Ball Cap.

I was walking real slowly the last half mile to the finish point. I was very tired and in pain. I crossed the finish line at 3:45 PM, The Jimmy Fund failed to announce my name as I crossed the finish line, but I did not care because my mother, father, and my Uncle Mile saw me cross the finish line. I stopped at the Weathervane booth to get some New England Clam Chowder. I always enjoyed this part of the walk, but the chowder was disagreeing with me on this day. I also drank a half liter of water fast, I don’t know if I was dehydrated or not, but almost passed out and had to sit for five minutes to regain my composure.

Throughout the whole day I kept thinking of the people who sponsored me throughout the years. Some are cancer survivors, some, like my father, died from cancer. I’m one lucky guy having people like you having sponsors like you, who year after year, continue to sponsor me in my goal of speeding the day that no one else’s family has to suffer like mine. My 2005 Jimmy Fund Walk is dedicated to you, the many sponsors that I have had over the years. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Until next year. Thank you and may God Bless.

Brian M. Richards

P/S Record is intact, five years of completing 26.2 miles.
 

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