Chris Blasko is an amazing UnFranchise Owner who leads by example and has the heart of a champion. He is a person of character and integrity, and that character was on full display at last month’s Boston Marathon. Below you’ll find an incredible message from Chris, which documents his experiences at this historic race, along with an incredible slide show.
Have a look at Chris’s incredible message and the great slideshow, because it’s a great opportunity to experience the Boston Marathon from a runner’s perspective – and really shows all the effort and dedication needed to persevere. I’m honored to call Chris a friend and I couldn’t be more proud of him for his incredible performance in the 2014 Boston Marathon. This is what success and the UnFranchise Business are all about!
Keep Growing!
-JR Ridinger
My Boston 2014 Story.
Monday April 21st 2014 is a day that is marked in history for the city of Boston and thousands of runners from around the world. It was one of the greatest days of my life. Because of what it stood for and that I could play a small part in it. Last year’s events at the Boston Marathon were tragic. The conclusion this year couldn’t have been scripted better. It was like a marathon fairy-tail. The weather was perfect. A huge thank you to everyone who sent me all the great messages this past weekend! The energy and excitement was electric throughout Boston. It was my ninth marathon and it was my most memorable. I approached the starting line with two goals. 1. Enjoy the run. 2. Try to run faster than 3 hrs 10 mins (7mins 15secs/mile pace) to requalify for next year’s Boston Marathon. Last year I went out too fast and burned on the Newton Hills (16 Miles). This year I took a much more disciplined approach and maintained a pace that was slightly faster than the 3:10 I would need for next year. Last year I drank Gatorade with my sports Gels which lead to an unbelievable upset stomach with about ten miles to go. This year, no Gatorade, only five Gels one every 45 minutes along with water at every stop. The race starts in the small town of Hopkinton and winds through several small towns and ends up near Boston Common in the heart of Boston.
Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ is kind of an anthem for Boston. It’s played during the seventh inning stretch Red Sox home games. After the Bombs of 2013 Diamond showed up to Fenway Park days later and played it in person. One of my favorite memories of my run this year came around the midway point. There were stereo speakers blaring out from the left side of the road from the crowd playing ‘Sweet Caroline’. About a mile later after the music was long gone a gentlemen running right along side me was still humming the words. Then he started singing out loud…hands….touching…hands….next thing I knew about ten other runners joined in…REACHING OUT…next it was not only ten runners, but hundreds a long with the crowd on both sides of the road…SWEET CAROLINE!!! GOOD TIMES NEVER FELT SO GOOD!!! I felt like I was floating.
Next up.. the Newton Hills and eventually Heartbreak Hill. I was cruising a long taking pictures and videos coming up on Heartbreak when a voice from the crowd yelled out: AN AMERICAN WON! It was like a bolt of lightning that traveled through the crowd. I couldn’t believe it. Not since Greg Meyers win in 1983 has an American Male won the Boston Marathon. Wow! I couldn’t wait to find out more. By now my legs were starting to ache a little but everything else felt great. When I reached the top of Heartbreak I knew the hardest part of the course was behind me and it was time to cruise. The next few miles went by fast. By the time I reached the Citgo sign and eventually Boylston, the crowds were ridiculous. My wife JoAnna, and our friends Leanne Vaillancourt , Meaghan Osbourne, and Deborah Gauthier were waiting and cheering near the finish. Anyone that has run a marathon knows that seeing a familiar face is like a shot of adrenaline. I crossed the finish line and checked out my time. 3hours, 5mins 46secs. I hadn’t even bothered to look at my pace for the last few miles.
What a celebration!! I’ve never heard so many people thank me for coming….really.. THEY THANKED ME! Can you believe it? The rest of the night belonged to Boston. They took back their finish line. After what happened last year there was no way I wasn’t coming back in 2014. Humbled. Honored. I didn’t and still don’t know whether to laugh or cry…both I guess. For now it’s time to put my shoes back on and start training. Next year isn’t that far off…
-Christopher Blasko
Field Vice President, Market America / Shop.com