Jeffery Hawkins, MD, is training to run the Boston Marathon for the 20th time. He never takes the challenging event, held Patriots’ Day, the third Monday in April, lightly. But this year the Massachusetts marathon will be particularly meaningful to Hawkins and others because of the bombings at the finish line last year.
Hawkins expects a very different marathon as participants, observers and organizers defy the bombers’ efforts to intimidate the free and the brave. Three lost their lives and more than 260 others were injured in the two blasts last year.
More than the average 27,000 Boston Marathon participants are being allowed to run in 2014 because so many want to be in the marathon to show their solidarity in response to last year’s bombing. “Everyone wants to show their support,” Hawkins says.
Hawkins, who specializes in pulmonary and lung internal medicine and practices at Norwood Clinic Pulmonology at Brookwood, went toward the blast area to see if he could be assistance but was turned back from the area, which was cordoned off. “Numerous medical personnel were already on hand at the finish line to aid participants and observers who might need medical attention during the race,” Hawkins says. “Those professionals did an incredible job saving lives and mitigating the long-term effects of the injuries in an emergency situation. It was fortunate that ambulances were there and area hospitals on the alert.”
Hawkins’ thoughts after the bombings quickly turned to the safety of his family and friends. Fortunately his wife wasn’t standing at her normal position near the finish line but had watched the race with a family friend from a different vantage point well away from the bombings site. Hawkins’ brother was a block away from the finish line when the blasts hit. “We were all so fortunate not to have been at the finish line at that time,” Hawkins says.
Running marathons was a natural progression for Hawkins who says he has run all his life. The physician was active in sports growing up in Idaho where he and many of his classmates participated in football, basketball and/or track. He ran competitively both in high school and at the University of Utah. “I didn’t have as much time to devote to running during medical school of course, but I ran when I could,” he says.
After medical school and his residency, Hawkins ramped up his running again. In the 1993, he decided to run in the hundredth Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest marathon, first run in 1897. He began gearing up to qualify several years before by running in other marathons, including those in Dallas and Portland. He then ran in the Boston Marathon several years before the centennial. “I thought it was going to be a one-time thing perhaps, but it started a trend,” Hawkins says.
Hawkins’ athletic pursuits and healthy diet help him stay fit and allow him to be a role model for his patients. “When you’re doing the things you’re recommending your patients do, it helps them take the advice more seriously,” Hawkins says.
For others interested in building up their endurance to run a marathon, Hawkins recommends taking up to a year to train for the first one. Runners in good condition could safely train in four to six months if they pushed it. Hawkins suggests joining a regular running group such as Trak Shak or Birmingham Track Club to help train properly. “It’s really helpful to be able to ask others about their experience and recommendations, especially for longer distances.”
When Hawkins is training to gear up for a marathon he increases his total miles run on his longest run of the week to 20 to 24 miles, he says. Then he tapers off that distance in the weeks before the race to about 10 to 12 miles. “A marathon takes a lot out of you so you want your body to be well rested that day,” Hawkins says.
