The 10th running of Boston’s Run to Remember is in the record books. On Sunday, May 25th, over 10,000 participants took part in either the five-mile or half marathon course.

For anyone not in the know, the unique local event, co-sponsored by the Boston Police Department and the Boston Police Runner’s Club, is held in honor of the more than 300 of the Bay State’s law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

Here at Feldman Land Surveyors, our own Senior Vice President, Karl McCarthy, PLS, was one of the thousands of half marathon participants. He was kind enough to share his impressions of the run, as well as his personal path to long distance running.

What’s important to note is that Karl hasn’t always been a long distance runner. In fact, he’s a reformed golfer and former sprinter who started getting back into shape using the company’s recently completed gym. He confesses that when he first committed to an exercise regimen, he ran every other day… and hated it!

Karl stuck with it, though. Soon he was running outside for longer distances at an ever-increasing pace. It didn’t take long before he entered his first 5K with no greater goal than to finish the course.

He did just that and eventually started training for half marathons. Now he tracks his split times daily, just like any real competitor would. And he gets his extra fix of endorphins on long weekend training runs.

But when this year’s Run to Remember suffered a Mass Pike-style runners’ jam at the course’s start, most competitors saw their hopes of personal best times dashed. Ever the optimist, Karl took it all in stride and went on to have a wonderful run anyway. Though he was prepared to run faster, he was moved by all the armed guards and police cruisers lining the route.

He crossed the finish line holding his daughter’s hand. She ran the race with him, and by the looks on their faces, this Run to Remember was not just about honoring those lost in the line of duty. It was also about building great memories doing something good with somebody you care about.

Stay tuned, because when the topic of marathons comes up, Karl just gets quiet and laces up his running shoes.