Patriot's Day is pretty much my favorite holiday. I like it because it's peculiar, and pretty much particular to Massachusetts and a couple of other states. And it's OFM (Originally from Massachusetts): one-if-by-land, "where once the embattled farmers stood" and all that.
And, of course, it's the day that the Boston Marathon is run, which is always - almost always; always up until 2013, anyway - a great time to be in Boston.
It's held in April, so the weather tends to be a crapshoot, everything from hellacious ice rain to unseasonably warm to perfect early spring weather. The city is buzzing, and while I preferred the Marathon back in the old days before it became a big "thing", I enjoy seeing the crowds out and about, especially the runners. So many of the amateurs hang around for a day or two and can be seen wandering and/or limping around in their jackets and finisher medals the day after.
The city gets decked out in blue and yellow - the Marathon colors - and, the best part of it: the Red Sox play a morning (11 a.m. start) date, so the game is over while the runners are still streaming through Kenmore Square, just a bit down the street from Fenway Park. Much my favorite game to be at. It's been a pandemically bad last couple of years, so no Patriots Day game.
But the Boston Marathon 2021, postponed from its traditional April date, is being run today. And the Red Sox, somehow, are still playing in October. And they'll be playing the Rays on Marathon Day. In Boston. I read that they are exploring an 11 a.m. start time, but the broadcasting gods may not allow. And I'm pretty sure they won't be able to resist wearing their hideous yellow-and-blue salute-to-the-Marathon unis. Baseball players are notoriously superstitious, and are guys believe that the yellows bring them luck. (Note: not always.)
As for the Maraton, there will be fewer runners, and the timing's different, but IT'S ON! And this will be the most lit that Boston's been since covid first crept in via the BioGen super-spreader conference, which was held in late February 2020.
I may mosey around a bit in the morning, just to see what's up, but on Friday, while walking around Boston's Back Bay, I was starting to see plenty of runners, many wearing older Marathon jackets to let the world know they've already run Boston. And lots of visitors: Marathon + holiday weekend (which is now called Indigenous Peoples Day) + Red Sox still playing = crowds.
On Marathon Monday afternoon, I'll be venturing out to a party.
A post-Marathon party was a long-standing tradition at Kennedy Brothers PT, whose co-founding brother Jake Kennedy was a 38 time Boston Marathoner and patron saint of many local runners. As co-founder (with his wife Sparky) of Christmas in the City, a charity focused on making sure that families living in homeless shelters have a bit of holiday comfort and joy, Jake was also the patron saint of kids in need and of volunteers. (The big Christmas in the City in-person events weren't held last year, and won't be this year, either, but the party alone used 2,000 volunteers. I've been a year-round volunteer for a while, Jake having sucked me in when I was a patient of his.)
And speaking of patron saints, I just got an email from a Christmas in the City donor who suggested - half seriously - that we start up a petition to have Jake declared a saint, and ask for Cardinal Sean O'Malley's help with the effort. I can just hear Jake. He would be laughing uproariously at the very thought.
Anyway, a year ago this week, Jake died. ALS. He had the fast-moving type, and had a year from diagnosis-to-death.
And today, his son Chippy is running Boston to honor his dad, and to raise money for ALS research at UMass Medical Center. (Zack, another of Jake's sons, is an ALS researcher there.)
When it comes to dying, there aren't a ton of ways I can think of that are much worse than ALS.
The cure can't come fast enough.
So this afternoon, I'll be at Kennedy Brothers PT, celebrating Chip's run, celebrating Jake's life.
Here's to you, Jake!
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I wrote about my friend Jake here.
And, since this is the holiday once known as Columbus Day, here are some Columbus Day thoughts.
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