In 2012 Justin Montgomery was seven years old and loved to play frisbee with his dad, Peter. It was early spring in North Tonawanda, New York, and Justin and Peter were anxious to get outside to play catch with the new frisbee that Justin received last month for his birthday. They were only playing for about 15 minutes, when Peter got winded and needed to sit down to catch his breath. Justin couldn't resist making a few 7 year old jokes about how fat and out-of-shape his father had become over the winter.
The jokes hurt a little bit, but it was true. Peter used to take pride in his athleticism, and in the last couple years there just never seemed to be enough time to work out. There was Justin, of course, and Justin's new little sister, Amanda. Justin's mother, Sarah, got a promotion at work just before becoming pregnant with Amanda, so now that she is back at work, she needs to make up for the lost time. Peter's job was also challenging, but fat and out-of-shape was NOT an option.
Peter resolved to work off those extra pounds and train for the Boston Marathon next year. Justin started out running with his dad and kept up pretty well. But after a while Peter started to lose those extra pounds and his endurance improved. Justin could no longer keep up. But his spirit didn't give up. He would start running with his dad, then stop off at the local playground while Peter kept extending his distance. When Peter came back by the playground Justin would join him for the run back to the house. As summer turned to fall and fall into winter, Peter was back in shape. Justin was happy to play longer with his dad, and proud of him too.
Working out in the winter in North Tonawanda isn't easy, but Peter joined a gym and took Justin every chance he could. Justin was getting pretty good at running, too. The gym sponsored an indoor track meet for kids, and Justin won the quarter mile event in the 7 to 8 year old category.
For Justin's 8th birthday he received a new pair Adidas, and a registration to run the North Tonawanda Kids Marathon in July. Justin couldn't wait.
Peter was ready for his first marathon and decided to take the entire family to Boston so they could celebrate together. On April 15, 2013 at 10:45 am Peter started along with about 26,000 other runners to conquer the 26.2 mile course through the streets of Boston. Peter was no elite runner, after all this was his first marathon. He'd be happy just to finish. After about four hours of running he was exhausted but recognized where he was as he entered Boylston Street. The finish line was in sight! Justin, Amanda and Sarah will be at the finish line to see his triumphant finish.
Sarah really didn't know how long it would take Peter to finish the race, if he would be able to finish at all. It seemed like racers were finishing the race for hours, but Peter was not among them. Justin was only getting more excited as his expectations of seeing his dad crossing the finish line grew. Amanda needed a diaper change so Sarah took her to a restroom in a nearby building to take care of things. Justin promised not go anywhere.
At 2:50 PM the flash was blinding.
A policeman stepped out in front of Peter and stopped him from running. Other policemen were stopping the other runners too. "What do you mean, 'The race is over.'? I can see the finish line up there! Just let me finish!" The policemen said that the whole area was a crime scene and no one was allowed to enter. Peter said his family was at the finish line and he had to get there.
The officer said, "No, you need to go straight home."
"North Tonawanda! I can't run to North Tonawanda from here! I need to find my family at the finish line!"
Just about then the race officials were setting up a hydration station where the runners could congregate, so the officer directed Peter to go there. Peter was exhausted and just barely able to think straight, but his anger at not being able to finish the race turned to apprehension when he saw the yellow "Crime Scene - Do Not Enter" tape stretched across Boylston Steet. A few moments later it was stark terror.
Justin lost both his legs that day, but not his spirit. Although he will never wear his new Adidas he plans to compete in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio.
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