#MOTRstrong Shout-out: Sarah

6/1/2023

Eau Claire Moms on the Run coach Sarah McCutcheon's goal is to run a marathon in all 50 states by the time she's 80. She crossed Massachusetts off her list — her eleventh state — when she tackled Boston on April 19. Along with fellow coach Betsy Larson, Sarah ran the grueling, hilly course in the rain, finding it was even more difficult than she imagined. Sarah is one of several Moms on the Run members who ran Boston in 2023 — the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. Here's a look inside the day from her perspective.

Sarah and Betsy at the starting line.

"It is safe to say that the Boston Marathon is no joke. I imagined it would be tough and hilly, in hopes that it wouldn’t be as hard as I thought it would be, but it was actually more hilly than I even expected.

Our Wisconsin winter has been icy, snowy and cold, so the random hills I ran definitely did not prepare me for the constant hills. I think there was a solid 1-2 miles that were actually “flat.” On top of that, my entire back side has been angry with me since hiking The Incline in Colorado [the month prior]. It was a beautiful hike and moment (so, still worth it) but probably not one of my wiser decisions.

I am not exaggerating when I say that every single step in the marathon was painful and tight. A few miles in, I decided that I better just get as many miles done as possible before I pulled something and was forced to walk the rest.

I was thankful for every finished mile that I was able to run and the crowd support that kept me going. The cold rain did not help, but I was also thankful that it wasn’t 80 degrees. I bribed myself to keep going and told myself I could take a bathroom stop at mile 13 and walk some of the Newton Hills (miles 16-21).

Mile after excruciating mile, I finally made it to the two largest hills in Newton. I walked both of them and wasn’t sure my tight glutes would allow me to start up again. I was cold and tight, but started running again and slowly found a groove for the last miles.
My mantra for this marathon was “Pain is Temporary." FYI, you know it’s a tough race when that’s your mantra, but I finished and I didn’t throw in the towel! I RAN THE BOSTON MARATHON!!

Boston has been every bit as amazing as one could imagine, and I did not do this on my own. My family, friends, and running buddies were with every step of the way on Monday. God bless you.

Thank you, Boston, for kicking my butt! You are one iconic marathon."