This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
An overwhelming urge to run suddenly awakened her. The clock read 4 a.m. Wednesday when Belinda Osborne abruptly opened her eyes and realized she needed closure.
Not more than 36 hours after completing her first Boston Marathon and witnessing the unspeakable horror that transpired at the finish line Monday, Osborne needed to run.
Forget those mornings when the single mother of two would awaken to run at 4:30 a.m. in hopes of making it to the Boston race. Osborne, of Draper, qualified in the St. George Marathon in October, besting the qualifying time by just 1 minute, 29 seconds.
"I felt like I needed to finish something," she said, "and to give people some hope."
Osborne initially intended Boston to be her adieu to competitive marathons, but Monday's explosions instead inspired her to run two marathons in one week.
She plans to pull on her Boston Marathon jersey and run in Saturday's Salt Lake City Marathon along with other Utahns fortunate to cross the finish line on Boston's Boylston Street before the first of two explosions.
Osborne will join Rachel Moody, Paul Fulton, Chelsea Larson and perhaps more of the 354 Utah runners who competed in Boston. The group will run another 26.2 miles with the goal to finish at exactly 4:09:43, the time the first bomb exploded.
"It's a feeling of refusing to be bullied," said Fulton, who along with Moody agreed a few months ago to be pace-setters for the Salt Lake City Marathon. "It's going to be a sense of, 'I'm out here, and I'm not going away.' "
Moody and Fulton initially were slated to pace the 3-hour, 55-minute group Saturday, but Moody, a Herriman resident who will be competing in her 16th marathon, said plans had to change.
It hit her on the flight home from Boston on Tuesday. There needed to be a 4:10 pace, and they needed to lead. The 3:55 group was canceled and a new one — 4:10 — was created.
"I needed to have a moment of silence to be able to cross that finish line Saturday with my hand over my heart in solidarity," said an emotional Moody, who finished Monday's marathon around the 3-hour, 40- minute mark, running in pace with Fulton. "We won't back down from challenge. We absolutely do not back down."
Moody entered Monday's race having competed in 14 marathons but never Boston. She didn't know the thrill of running through those tight streets feeling like a rock star. Her name was on her jersey and she couldn't go 50 feet without hearing a complete stranger shout her name.
"I had a perma-smile … my cheeks hurt," she said. "I had Boston, and it was so awesome."
Tragedy and triumph ensued. After collecting water to drink and their medals and blankets, Moody and Fulton felt the ground shake and a cannonlike noise engulfed the area.
"Usually when I run, it's a meditative thing for me," Fulton said. "Boston was different. I just went out there, high-fived as many people as I could and enjoyed and made sure I was there in the moment the whole time."
He was, and he wants those moments, those hours and minutes and seconds before two blasts rocked the most popular marathon race in the world, to rub off on the runners and spectators Saturday in Salt Lake City.
Moody said Saturday's marathon is a peaceful challenge and an opportunity to respond and honor 4:09:43.
"I will do this 26.2 again," she said. "I will do it with love and honor and respect in my heart. I will honor the memory of those at the finish line and show that we're not afraid of that time."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Salt Lake City Marathon
Saturday, April 20, 2013, at 7 a.m.
Start • Olympic Legacy Bridge at the University of Utah
Finish • Liberty Park
Start times
Bike Tour (25 miles) • 6 a.m.
Wheelchair and hand cycle start • 6:30 a.m.
Marathon start (26.2 miles) • 7 a.m.
Half-marathon start (13.1 miles) • 7 a.m.
Hyundai Hope On Wheels 5K (3.1 miles) • 7:10 a.m.
Kids' marathon (1K) • 10:30 a.m.
Marathon qualifying times
Men • two hours, 30 minutes
Women • three hours
Men's open marathon, first place • $500
Men's open marathon, second place • $250
Men's open marathon, third place • $125
Women's open marathon, first place • $500
Women's open marathon, second place • $250
Women's open marathon, third place • $125
Half-marathon qualifying times
Men • 1 hour, 15 minutes
Women • 1 hour, 30 minutes
Men's open half-marathon, first place • $500
Men's open half-marathon, second place • $250
Men's open half-marathon, third place • $125
Women's open half-marathon, first place • $500
Women's open half-marathon, second place • $250
Women's open half-marathon, third place • $125