For Mike O’Callaghan, the journey to the 2020 Boston Marathon has been a long one. But the former Camp Verde cross country and track and field coach, and current assistant, now knows what he’s going to do.
O’Callaghan had originally signed up to run the Boston Marathon on Sept. 14, the date it had been rescheduled for when the COVID-19 crisis made it apparent that the traditional April date was not plausible. But on May 28, the decision was made to cancel the marathon — at least the live running of it — for the first time in its history.
As other races of different magnitudes have done, the Boston Marathon will be run virtually. Runners will map their own individual routes and track their times.
O’Callaghan will run the 26.2 miles on Sept. 13 in Camp Verde. His route is essentially planned. All that O’Callaghan needs to do to finalize the route is to get official permission to run through certain areas.
O’Callaghan’s plan is to start between 4 and 5 a.m. as a way to beat the heat.
Despite not getting to run the iconic marathon’s route, it’s been easy for O’Callaghan sees the positivies in doing things this way.
“In a way, it’s really kind of great,” he said. “Most marathons, you sign up, check in, go to the trade show, etc. This is kind of fun for me anyway because it’s really made me think about where I’m going to run, how I’m going to do it. It’s been a blast to do it that way.”
O’Callaghan has also received great support from the Camp Verde Running Group. While O’Callaghan will be the only one running 26.2 miles, he will have some company for part of it, with different runners committing to running part of the race with him. The Camp Verde Running Group has also committed to setting up aid stations for O’Callaghan.
“I’m really thrilled about how it’s coming together,” O’Callaghan said. “I’ve gotten good support.”
O’Callaghan also noted that his wife, Jenny, is hoping to broadcast parts of his run on Facebook Live for anyone who wishes to follow along.
When O’Callaghan was in Boston in the summer of 2019, he walked by the Boston Marathon finish line and acknowledged a bittersweet feeling that he might never get a chance to cross the line as a runner in the race. In less than a year’s time after that trip, O’Callaghan had both signed up for the 2020 marathon and had it canceled.
Fortunately for O’Callaghan, the dream of completing the actual Boston Marathon has merely been postponed.
Assuming the world health situation improves in the coming months, the 2021 Boston Marathon is still planned for next April. O’Callaghan’s Stepping Strong Team has made it clear to him and other members that they can run as a team in 2021.
“I’m planning on next year; I’d guess that before the end of the year that Stepping Strong will know what the plan is,” O’Callaghan said. “I am looking forward to the 30,000 people, the trade show and meeting other people in Boston when the world is in better shape health-wise.”
