The races are linked. So too are we all.

It’s something of a dare: “You try to find some meaningful words or thoughts about this tragedy,” one of my pals posted Tuesday morning on Facebook. And I’ve got nothing. I’ve got nothing smart to say about Boston, or bombs, or a 78-year-old man – who ran more in a single day than I’ve run in my life – being knocked over by a shock wave from one of the two improvised explosive devices set off during one of the busiest times near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. 


There’s nothing meaningful to be said about the slaughter of an 8-year-old boy cut down while standing with his mother and sister on a city sidewalk on a crisp spring afternoon, cheering on family friends at one of the pre-eminent marathons in the world. What meaning can be found in picture after picture of blood running down a modern-day Boston sidewalk, or a blood-spattered American flag held by a man who helped save a bombing victim by pinching an artery in the victim’s shredded leg? 


There’s nothing smart to say. There’s just a dull ache.


The awfulness of what was to be a great day of triumph in Boston (for to run the Boston Marathon means being a proficient enough runner to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and there were more than 20,000 qualifiers in this year’s race) now looms large over one of Monterey’s County’s great days of triumph. Twenty thousand might sound like a lot, but consider that with the exception of the Olympics and a handful of championship races, Boston is the only marathon that has time standards. 


Men ages 18-34, for example, have to run a qualifying marathon in 3:05:00 – that’s 26.2 seven-minute miles – to gain entry to Boston. Castroville’s Daniel Tapia, a 26-year-old elite runner gaining national acclaim, came in ninth in this Boston with a time of 2:14:30.


The Big Sur International Marathon (BSIM) happens April 28. It always takes place either six or 13 days (depending on the year) after Boston. 


The desire to do both courses is so deep for many runners that BSIM has formalized a program called “Boston to Big Sur.” Part of the larger Big Sur marathon, runners who enter and complete both races qualify for special awards and prizes – and, of course, bragging rights for having run two incredibly difficult courses, each with the hills and headwinds, with so little time to recover between events.


“It’s almost a coast-to-coast challenge,” says Doug Thurston, BSIM’s new executive director and a veteran of the race management business, who was in Boston to represent BSIM at the three-day pre-race expo. He arrived back in Monterey late April 15, the day of the Boston bombings.


BSIM caps Boston to Big Sur at 400 runners. Thurston met most of them during the expo and gave them little gifts, like BSIM-branded smartphone holders. Many more runners are doing both races without having signed up for the program. 


“It’s not just people from Boston or Northern California making the trip. It’s people from all over the world,” Thurston says. “There was a feeling of a lot excitement and joy, and a tad bit of apprehension.”


No doubt that apprehension will be heightened now, in a much different fashion, and security is going to be ramped up too. Thurston says that at race time, it’s common for up to 25 percent of registered runners not to make it to the starting line. Life interrupts, he says. Work schedules change, injuries occur. As of the morning of April 16, Thurston says the BSIM had received a few phone calls from people who said because of what they experienced in Boston, they were no longer planning to come to Big Sur.


“We are, of course, respecting anyone who has changed their mind and is not feeling emotionally or physically prepared,” Thurston says. “We are all brothers and sisters in this wonderful sport, and we support those who have been affected both by the tragedy itself or the many thousands of runners who weren’t able to cross the finish line.”


For those of us who don’t run – or, who like me, only run if they’re being chased – here’s how you can show support. Come to the race, stand at the finish line and cheer as the runners cross it. Or stand at the middle of the course and yell for those who may need to take a slower pace. If you see groups of runners gathering at local restaurants or visiting tourist spots, give them a little thumbs up.


“Anyone who comes to Big Sur is going to be welcomed and supported and safe, and we want to honor the commitment of the runner to get to the finish line of the race,” Thurston says. “Let them know you appreciate the extra effort and cheer them on.” 


MARY DUAN is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at mary@mcweekly.com or follow her at twitter.com/maryrduan.