Balloons and Ethiopians

"If you are looking to renew your faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.."

Kathrin Switzer

"Marathoners are mad; so kiss one today. Madness might be contagious"

Ellie Wehlen

A quick word must be said about the Boston  marathon...My trainer (of Lech 1/2 fame) runs 50ks and 50 milers and 30 milers; and she wants very badly to run a sub 3 hour marathon here in Boston. Last year the conditions were terrible- freezing temperatures and head winds and no one got their best time. Anglela came in at 3:04. Due to these ridiculous security measures in place after the bombing, she then had to walk in the rain for almost 40 minutes til she could meet her mother. She was nearly hypothermic when she arrived at the car. So this year I said I would pay for a hotel room (there are many near or at the finish line), so she could triumphantly take a shower immediately after her sub three run. It was only four minutes and the conditions were so much better!

The sun was out, stars seemed aligned. Thomas and I go to mile 25; and wait. In the crowd I find myself next to a woman whose kid is a senior at PEA ( I heard her talking and said hey) and a man who said he was rooting for an Angela too! And lo and behold he was my trainers friend from high school. 

We watch the Ethiopians come in- beautiful gazelle like creatures who still look sort of tired, but achingly beautiful. They won every category of men and women. First second third; first second third. 

And then we see very fast non professionals come in; and some of them look fairly spry, but some look like they are returning from a prize fight. Thomas said "I have never seen so many people so tired." It was unreal. Some were hollow eyed and limping; some just walking. And these were the fast ones! 

Something went awry (I haven't found out yet) and Angela didn't make it. She was absolutely crushed by it- but 16 minutes too slow. I cried twice: once when a man came running by, pushing a paraplegic adult in a baby carriage.  

And he was about to clock at 3 hour marathon time. Then I cried when Angela stopped to hug her sister at mile 25.5. She was almost done, but she needed a hug to get over the finish line. 

Anyway- who knew a marathon would be so entertaining to watch? But go mile 25 of the next one you can, preferably Boston. Boston is the real life version of the last scene from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas...when the grinch performs an unspeakable act

thinking he will break the spirit of Christmas. But when morning comes the people are united, singing in harmony again.

There will never be a bomb that can stop this race.

....Ok back to New Hampshire...

So the Wehlies get a dose of PEA and they were delighted. They were amazed by 37 (who's counting) tennis courts and the cute town with tea; Amazed by a system that removes even the remotest possibility that one kid will be sleeping during class. Amazed by a classroom where it is the  teacher who says the least. Amazed that "little Chinese girls in pink tails" absolutely smoked the calculus problem- explained their rationale, then sat the hell down. The way they described it, it was as if the tiny things blew on their piece of chalk, then put it back in its holster. "No coquettishness!" 

I'm not kidding. Oh and the teacher was an African man. I'll leave it there- suffice it to say, they were astonished and delighted; and they are not easily astonished or delighted. 

The two Thomases and I strolled the town and campus and watched a rather sleepy tennis practice. There wasn't a feel of the WE ARE EX... Enthusiasm... Do these people not know the Andover match is coming up??!!

F met us outside his dorm and was frankly,  rather dashing in his wrinkled button down and retainer. What can I say? The competition is a guy who spends his Friday night speaking Latin with the Latin club. 

So we ascend four flights with two grandparents; one uncle; two parents; countless presents; and 75 cupcakes for the dorm. F ushered us in quickly- maybe I'm imaging it, but he might have been just a little embarrassed. We were like the clown act at the circus- piling into the VW; but in German. (What could be embarrassing  about that?!)

Here is the sweet part- he said that inexplicably, a few kids knew it was his birthday. Then the rest heard - and this is how a possie of high test scoring types can come in handy: they snuck into his room; stole some balloons he had there, blew them up, and wrote things on each balloon before putting them back inside. But what Frederick was most touched by was how there were "interesting"

things on each balloon: a limerick, a riddle, a quote...In other words, they were clever enough to commit the crime, and kind enough to make it into art. That's a pretty good combination if you ask me. 

So we had dinner and Fs phone was lighting up like crazy during (I guess the geniuses back at the dorm found the cupcakes) so he ran off to have dessert with them. He is at home here, that much is clear. Tucked in amongst 75 red velvet cupcakes, and limerick festooned balloons.