Callin Bos, 2019

I began running during my freshman year of high school and have been doing so as a pastime ever since. The first time I ran Run to the Pub, I did it as a 10k race against my dad who is a very good runner. (I won, but that’s of little consequence.) I participated again as a sophomore and that’s the year I heard my number called. I stood there in shock and asked my dad if that was really my number. It was!

I was informed that I would be going to Dublin in October, 2018. However, as fate would have it, you have to be 18 years old in order to run the Dublin Marathon, so Run to the Pub kindly let me postpone my trip and cash my ticket in October, 2019. I was on going to Dublin; I still couldn’t believe it!

In the summer leading up to the marathon, I worked full time so training took a bit of a backseat. I figured I could swing it since I’m still young and spry. Turns out I couldn’t as well as I thought... about three weeks out from the race, on a training run, I injured my left knee. I chose not to run for the three weeks leading up to the race in hopes that my knee would heal enough for me to be able to finish the marathon without too much pain.

We arrived in Dublin on the Thursday prior to the race in order to acclimate and get used to the time change. Incredible! The people were so, so friendly and as it turns out, I was able to successfully cross the finish line, due in no small part to the encouragement from my dad and the wonderful Dubliners around me... “Come on, laddie!”

Thank you, Run to the Pub, for an experience I will remember my whole life!