The Boston Marathon is always a special day for the thousands of lucky runners who compete each year. For elite runners and those running for charities, the goal is simple — make that last turn onto Boylston Street and cross the finish line.
For Lynnfield native Meghan Breslow, Marathon Monday had a little more on the line.
Breslow was running for Massachusetts General Hospital’s emergency response team. Little did she know how personal that connection would turn out to be.
For her, March 31 started like every day had for the previous 18 weeks, training for her first marathon.
It ended with the terrible news that her older brother, Matt, had been seriously injured in a New Bedford apartment fire that killed two people and injured five.
He escaped the blaze by jumping out of his fourth floor unit, falling 50 feet to the ground. He was taken to a New Bedford hospital with multiple broken bones and other injuries. Doctors wanted to transfer him to Rhode Island Hospital that same day but his parents, Bob and Debbie, insisted he be taken to Mass General.
“My parents said no, they wanted him at Mass General so he was med-flighted there,” Breslow said. “I think it was the best decision we could have made. I’m so glad my parents made that choice for Matt. I can’t believe what he’s been through. My father said it was a ‘leap to live.'”
Breslow said she drew inspiration from her brother’s brush with death.
“He was with me every step of the way, absolutely,” said Breslow. “He was actually with me on Facetime with my dad. I’d say the last half-mile or so he saw me run by, which was really special. I only cried when I thought of him.”
After the race, when Breslow had a chance to talk to Matt, she said they both cried.
“He told me how proud he was of me,” Breslow said. “I mean here he is, he’s been through the ringer and has gone through so much, and he is telling me how proud he is of me.”
Breslow finished the race in 4:05:35, 10 minutes lower than her goal. She also exceeded her fundraising goal, topping the $10,000 mark.
She said the hardest part of the race was definitely the hills, and that she thinks most runners would agree.
“The crowds were really incredible,” Breslow said. “I had my name on my shirt and just heard people calling my name, especially the Wellesley College kids. They just kept yelling, ‘Meg, Meg, Meg,’ and I was screaming back at them. I think my cheeks hurt the most because I had a smile on my face the entire race. I couldn’t stop. It was awesome. My parents are always looking at the bright side, so that’s what I tried to do every step of the way.”
Breslow said she has no plans to rest on her laurels. She has officially enrolled in the Chicago and New York marathons this fall. Her ambition is to complete the Abbott World Marathon majors, a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world — Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City.
“I’ll be running for autism in Chicago and type 1 diabetes in New York,” Breslow said. “The plan is to complete the Abbott, so I am already looking into Berlin next year, so all of that is in the works.”
But for now, it’s back to work in Lynn at the Shoemaker School, where Breslow is a fifth grade special education teacher.
“I’ll be back on Monday after the vacation week is over and I know it’s going to just fly by,” the 2014 Lynnfield High graduate said.
Breslow said she had the opportunity to meet with the Mass General race team Monday morning before the race.
“So many people yesterday were asking me what my connection to Mass General was and I said, ‘Well, I didn’t really have a true connection until about three weeks ago,'” Breslow said. “I told them the story, and basically said how Mass General had saved my brother’s life and it just so happens I was running for them. It gives me the chills. I had the chills the whole race thinking about the connection.”
“It’s incredible when you think about that same day when he got med-flighted to Boston on the day of the fire, I was offered a tour of Mass General’s med flight operations,” she added. “It’s just crazy when you think about it.”
To date, Matt has had five surgeries and there will likely be more on his road to recovery. He returned home to Lynnfield on Tuesday, about 24 hours after his sister crossed the finish line.
“It’s been a whirlwind and exciting 48 hours, that’s for sure,” said Bob. “Matt is excited to come home, but it’s been a real rollercoaster ride the last few weeks with Meghan running the race and planning for Matt’s release. With all that going on we wanted Monday to be a special day for Meghan and with Matt coming on Tuesday, it all worked out perfectly. It’s been an incredible 48 hours.”
