Meet my amazing friend Peggy! We met long ago in our home town of St. George, Utah. She was a mother of young kids, and I was a wee girl of 14 years old. And let me tell you, to know her is to love her! I have always been impressed by the way she balances faith, family, and fitness everyday. She has run multiple marathons and races. She is truly an inspiration! I hope that her story of survival at the Boston Bombing will strengthen your faith in God and the incredible power of prayer. Take it away Peg!

I started running in college and then started running races in my late 20’s. I’m the wife of an awesome hubby, a mother of 5 and grandmother of beautiful twin boys and another one on the way in September (I’m hoping he’s going to be my 50th bday gift on the 24th :). I love being with my family, I love my faith, I love running, cooking and sewing. I love, love, love being a mom and grandma. It’s just the best. I’ve run the STG marathon 6 times, Top of Utah (PR of 3:45), Boston 2013, 2014 and 2015 and my hubby and I did the STG Ironman together in 2014. When Laura asked me share a little bit about myself, this is the story I felt strongly to share…

In 2013, my friend and I qualified for the Boston Marathon.  We worked hard to qualify, and trained hard to run Boston as well.  The trip to Boston was everything that I thought it would be and more, and then the time of the race had come.

My BF Sheryl and I at the expo.

 The morning of the marathon, my sweet hubby went to a bagel store and got me a bagel and peanut butter for my breakfast. Then, before I left my room, I said a prayer asking Heavenly Father to help me through the marathon and for His protection.  Little did I know that I really did need His protection when I started the race.  

My hubby dropped me off at Hopkinton Park where we then boarded buses to go to the starting line.  I then met up with my friends who were running and we were off!  The starting line was so exciting and everyone was pumped.  It was exhilarating to be a part of that event.

My friend and I stayed together for most of the race, but then I was feeling good and decided to pull ahead. I had my phone and my hubby called me every once in a while to ask me where I was. He was trying to get to the finish-line bleachers to take some photographs of me when I came in, but to no avail. He tried three different times, but each time, he was stopped for one reason or another. He finally gave in (which is not like him to give up; he is a determined one) and was near mile 24-25 with his camera waiting for me to get to him.  He kept telling me on the phone to stay to my right and I did up until I saw him.  When I made the turn onto Boyleston Street, I was hugging the left side of the road.

After running 24 miles, I really had to bear down and focus for the last few miles on crossing that finish line.  I had negative splits and I was pretty excited about it— Boston is a tough marathon and I was determined to finish strong.  Just before I crossed the finish line, I heard a MASSIVE BOOM!  At first, I was thinking that it was a celebratory thing since Boston celebrates big time for the marathon and runners are treated like movie stars. BUT I quickly learned that this was not a celebration boom–this was a bomb!  I was right next to it and the only thing that kept me from getting hit with all of the debris was the blue net that kept the crowd off of the race path.  I felt it, and the sound was like nothing I had heard in all of my life–it was deafening.  I put my hands up to my ears, they hurt so badly from hearing the blast. Immediately, I saw emergency vehicles and undercover police coming from every direction.  I crossed the finish line and was one of the last runners to receive a medal, it was total chaos.  The volunteers rushed me through the finish line, gave me a bag of goodies and then I tried to find my sweetheart, but that is a story for another day.

This pic and video was broadcast on the news all over the world. I am the runner in the green shirt on the left side.

I forgot to stop my watch after the marathon and had to walk forever to find the clothing drop retrieval, and the friends and family area where I borrowed someones phone to call my hubby and let him know I was okay.

My phone died and my hubby didn’t know if I was okay or not. Finally, we meet. I will never forget that hug!

After the race, I reflected on what really just happened to me and how my Heavenly Father answered my prayer that morning in asking Him for protection while running the famous Boston Marathon.  I can tell you that heavenly angels were around me protecting me from that debris and were with me every moment.  I cannot tell you what a pure miracle it was that I did not have one scratch on me from that event and that my hearing did not suffer. I will forever be grateful that I am still here all in one piece for my family. This experience will affect me for the rest of my life. 

Running has helped me through many, many trials in my life; I don’t know where I would be without it. My running friends are the choicest friends I could ever ask for.  We have helped each other through hard times, been happy for each other in joyous times, and I don’t know where I would be without them. 

Thank you for asking me to write my story. It has brought back many memories that have been tucked away for a while and has made me, once again, say a little prayer of gratitude to The Man Upstairs.

Happy Trails,
Peggy