From Boston to the Grand Canyon —
On Healing, Resilience, and Finishing What We Start.
Every April, the Boston Marathon runs again.
This year marks its 129th—each one a testament to endurance, community, and the power of the human spirit.But when I think about the Boston Marathon, my mind always goes back to 2013.
That year, everything changed.
I was out in Arizona attempting my first Rim to Rim to Rim of the Grand Canyon. The same day, as I climbed out of the canyon, I stepped back into a world watching in shock as tragedy unfolded at the finish line in Boston.
It was supposed to be a bold adventure—my first try at crossing the canyon on foot in a single day. But I didn’t make it.
The canyon had its own story to tell, and mine ended early.
I’ve carried that unfinished attempt with me ever since. Not as a failure, exactly, but as a journey that wasn’t yet ready to finish.
Last weekend, I went back to the canyon to finish what I had started in 2013.
Down from the South Rim, across the Colorado River, up to the North Rim, and back again. Over 45 miles, more than 10,000 feet of climbing, and a long-awaited conversation between me and the canyon that started all those years ago.
It was about returning. About proving to myself that just because something takes time doesn’t mean it’s out of reach.
For the many who toe the line in Boston every year, they return with the weight of their own dreams and unfinished stories.
After the tragedy in Boston in 2013, the marathon returned stronger than ever. Through the pain, the race and countless runners continue. Each year, since has been a reminder: we don’t stop moving because something hurts. We keep moving because that’s how we heal.
So if you’re in the middle of your own unfinished story – if something you hoped for still feels far away – take it one step at a time.