AFRICA WORLD MAGAZINE FALL ISSUE 2015

in line with home plate and 3rd base
about 12 rows up-incredible!),
Walking through Concord and
Lexington to see some of the places
our Founding Fathers fought for
the freedom of our country Monday
morning, April 16, 2013 dawned clear,
with perfect temperatures for the
runners. Wave 1 – the world-class
runners –crossed the finish line about
10 am. We were in the grandstand
cheering them on at the finish line
as Meb crossed followed by so many
other champion runners.
Keeping the
PEACE IN CHAOS
BY SUSAN B. MEAD
Keeping the peace in chaos.
How in the world do you
expect me to do that, you
ask? This statement simply
sounds like an oxymoron. How
can both be achieved at the same
time? Great question!
Here’s the deal. An event occurs,
creating chaos. In an instant, the
situation changes. No warning,
no heads up, no anticipation.
BOOM! Change in less than the
blink of an eye, creating a chaotic
situation. Yet it is our response
to an event that shows our
character, not the event itself.
Boston Marathon. April 2013.
Beautiful, sunny, PERFECT day
for the runners. My cousin,
Amby Burfoot, running the 45th
anniversary of winning the
Boston Marathon in 1968.
Yep, Amby is a legend in running.
35+ years as an editor for
Runners World. Prolific writer.
Knowledgeable. Fun. Family.
I had always wanted to watch
Amby run the Boston Marathon.
At a family reunion a few years
earlier, Amby shared he would be
running the 45th anniversary - if
his knees were good. My husband
and I decided to go.
We simply wanted to be in the
crowd celebrating with him!
What an amazing week Boston
presented!
Cheers to the Boston Marathon
opening party - held at the bar
from the Cheers TV show
Boston Mayors Breakfast -
celebrating 4 legends in running
and prior winners of the Boston
Marathon
Runners World party with the
Who’s Who in running – I was
clueless!
Red Sox Game (our seats were
Wave 2 and Wave 3 followed. Wave
2 is comprised of the runners who
qualified to run Boston (if I recall
correctly-forgive me if not!) and Wave
3 is composed mostly of the folks
running for charities.
Amby typically runs in Wave 1 with
the world-class runners. Celebrating
the 45th anniversary of his 1968
win with several family and friends
running with him, Amby chose to run
in Wave 3 at a 10 minute per mile
pace instead of his normal 5 minute
per mile pace. Makes my heart beat
faster just thinking about running at
that pace. You too?
We were in the grandstands awaiting
Amby’s triumphant finish. The sun
shone bright, the grandstands and
finish line were filled with spectators
as family and friends shared in the
celebration of a magnificent feat.
We knew Amby was about 5 minutes
out – amazing how technology lets
you track your favorite runners on the
course!
BOOM!
Flames erupted and evil entered
the scene. Chaos ensued. The crowd
surged, each person scattering to
safer ground to save their own life. My
husband said hang tight for a moment,
we do not want to be trampled…
BOOM!
Eight seconds later, the second bomb
exploded, sending the crowd into a
heightened frenzy. My hands clasped
Africa World Magazine
45