By William Coffman, Staff Writer

Last week, the 130^th running of the Boston Marathon saw thousands of runners take on one of the most challenging races in the world. Xavier senior marketing major Adam Fowler and senior Philosophy, Politics, and the Public and economics major Trey Socha were two of them.

Both Musketeers finished the race, with Socha running an impressive time of two hours and 38 minutes, while Fowler finished in three hours and 33 minutes.

“I am from Massachusetts and the Boston Marathon is one of the best days of the year. It’s easily one of my favorite days of the year,” Fowler said. “I’ve wanted to run it my whole life. My grandfather did, my mother did, and I got to run it with my brother last year. After running last year, I chose to run again. Ideally, I’d love to run it every year for the rest of my life.”

Socha commented on the importance of community within the Boston Marathon.

“Boston is such a special race because of the community that it brings together. Not only are there 30,000 people running the race, but there are hundreds of thousands more spectating,” Socha said. “The whole city shows up and lines pretty much every inch of the course to cheer on people they’ve never met, so I think that constitutes something extra special.”

The Boston Marathon is one of the world’s most well-known endurance events, having the distinction of being the oldest continuously running marathon in the world. It is a difficult marathon to qualify for, and one of the most prestigious marathons one can run.

Socha also highlighted the importance of the course in running at Boston.

“The hardest part of the marathon for me was the last few miles of the race. Marathons take a toll on your legs, and Boston is known especially for this. By mile 24, I was just hoping to make it to the finish line,” Socha said.

Crossing the finish line in Boston was not Fowlers’ only running challenge this year. In March, Fowler ran across the state of Massachusetts, raising $8500 for the Newton Firefighters’ Children’s Fund in the process.

Still, even with all the miles Fowler had already put on his shoes, Fowler’s training for the marathon required consistent effort and dedication. 

“The hardest part of the marathon was the months of training prior to the big day. Waking up at 6am on a snowy Tuesday morning in February or sacrificing a night with friends to make sure I’m ready for a Sunday long run,” Fowler said. “The months of commitment leading up to the race that tests your commitment is the real challenge, and that’s what makes the marathon so rewarding. There are definitely low points during the actual race, the only difference is you have the city of Boston right there to pick you up.”

The marathon route takes you all through the city and crowded streets. The marathon is one of Boston’s most popular events, though sadly, the marathon has had to grapple with tragedy in its history.

In 2013, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev planted two bombs in the crowd close to the finish line, killing three and injuring hundreds when they detonated. The terrorist attack shocked Boston, yet the city returned to race again the following year.

Fowler encourages anyone curious about the sport to get into running. Fowler believes the lessons it provides are worth the tough training. 

“Running is a great way to instill discipline and accountability. Running a marathon is an amazing experience and I’d encourage anyone to try. It’s a way to commit to a goal, pursue it and have a blast while doing it,” Fowler said.

Socha concurred, highlighting how running a marathon may seem difficult, but is worth it in the end.

“I would tell Xavier students that this is something I wish everyone had the chance to experience. I know that running a marathon (especially one like Boston) seems like a daunting task, but it is worth it in the end for me every single time,” Socha said.