Boston tragedy doesn’t deter distance runners
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Vicki Schmidt continues to suffer flashbacks of the bombs going off at the Boston Marathon. Her boyfriend, there cheering her on, has a hole in his eardrum and hearing loss in both ears.
She didn’t finish the race, but the physical and mental wounds have made Schmidt more determined to run the half-marathon portion of Saturday’s Country Music Marathon – which promises to be an emotional event.
It is the largest combined marathon and half-marathon to be held in the United States since the April 15 bombings that killed three people and injured more than 260.
Schmidt says “there’s a lot more good than evil in this world, and I can’t be scared to walk out my door.”
The paralegal isn’t alone. About 30,000 runners are expected in Nashville.
