Massachusetts Bar Association member and Boston attorney Dawn
Castillo Harper technically just completed her first Boston
Marathon, but it wasn't her first time running one. Like many
others who started out from Hopkinton the year before, Harper ran
nearly the entire race before she was turned away from the course
after the bombs went off. She was just seven-tenths of a mile from
the finish line.
While Harper was initially upset she didn't get to finish, her
thoughts quickly turned to her mother and friend, Michelle, both of
whom were just 100 feet from the explosion at the finish line.
Luckily they were unharmed physically, but the events of that day
will stay with them forever.
Living two blocks from the finish line, Harper witnessed day in
and day out the events of the next few weeks, so it was never a
question she would run in 2014. But for Harper, simply running the
marathon wouldn't be enough. She chose to raise money for the very
people who made sure the aftermath of the bombing was not more
tragic than the bombing itself: the Watertown Police
Department.
Over the past few months, Harper trained for this year's race
and attended a variety of charitable and fundraising events. With
the marathon now in her rearview mirror, she expects to hit her
fundraising goal of $10,000 for the Watertown Police Foundation,
Inc.
Harper says this year's marathon was an experience she won't
soon forget, and she cannot believe it is over. While she is unsure
whether she will make running a marathon a habit, Harper says she
is proud to have run one for Boston - especially the people who put
their lives on the line.
By her actions, it is clear Harper knows what it means to be
Boston Strong.