Editor’s note: Brian Boyle is a 23-year-old from Welcome, Md., who was profiled in Personal Best as he prepared for the Marine Corps Marathon. He was hit by a dump truck five years ago, and was in a coma for more than a month and lost 60 percent of his blood.
Going into Philadelphia for the fifth marathon in a little more than a month, I was really hoping to do well and finally reach my big goal for 2009 of going less than four hours. I kept coming so close to the four-hour mark during the past few races, but just couldn’t quite seem to break through that mental and physical barrier.
As soon as the race started, with my legs feeling as if they were made of lead, something clicked in my mind where I shut out all the negative energy and focused on running strong. I took off, maneuvering through the crowds of runners, weaving in and out of spectators on the sidewalks and streets, just running on pure adrenaline.
By mile 13, I was running on pure emotion, thinking back on all that I had been through over the years and thinking of all the incredible support I’ve received. I kept looking at my watch and repeatedly thought to myself, “Can I actually do this? Will today be the day?”
My body was still cooperating at this point, but I was really worried about what was going to happen around mile 20 because I would usually run out of steam. But, as soon as I arrived at mile 20, I experienced something that I never experienced in a race before — I smashed through the “wall” and felt stronger than ever. With tears in my eyes and fire surging through my heart, I raced through the next few miles and crossed the finish line in 3:52.40 — dropping 12 minutes from my personal best time (4:04) from the Richmond marathon Nov. 14.
