Local marathon legend Mae Palm is busting out some old threads for the annual 麻豆社国产Days 10K run.
The 73-year-old plans to sport the same blue-and-yellow shorts she donned the last time she participated in the Boston Marathon back in 2001.
But she won't be wearing the shorts to make a fashion statement, rather to make a statement about the deadly bombings that occurred in Boston earlier this year.
"It was just such a tragedy," she said, noting she participated in the Boston Marathon nine times during her running career. "I've decided to come out of hiding and have a run in memory for everyone who was affected by that terrible day."
Palm said many locals wondered if she had been racing in Boston this year and said her daughter pointed out an ominous coincidence.
"She called me up after everything happened and just looking at the time of when the bombs went off - that's probably the time I would have been crossing the finish line if I had been running it," she said. "I just really want to do something for all those people's memory and hopefully others will be inspired to do the same."
The Boston race holds a special place in Palm's heart. She's competed in more than 100 marathons all over the world but Boston is unique for her.
"It's the cream of the crop - the marathon of all marathons," she said. "It's a race that so many runners want to do but you have to qualify for it. It makes the race more special."
She said the shorts still fit her after 12 years but don't expect any record-breaking times from the septuagenarian. Palm said she's had to cut back on marathons in recent years because she's on a fixed income as a senior. She told The Chief she still loves the annual 10K run and ran it earlier this week with an approximate time of one hour and 12 minutes.
"It's a really nice feeling just being there," she said of the 10K. "But I'll probably be doing a snail's pace."
The 麻豆社国产Days 10K race is the ninth race in the Lower Mainland Road Race Series and gets underway at 8:25 a.m. on Sunday (Aug. 4). A new addition to this year's race is medals will be handed out to the top three finishers in the stroller division.
For more information on the race, visit www.squamishdays.ca/pages/festival-events/10k-run.php.
