Orly Hakimi

129th BOSTON 💙💛🦄

Marathon Monday: it’s hard to find the right words for a day that felt like it was sprinkled with fairy dust. Magical? Absolutely. A dream? More than that.

Arriving to Hopkinton. Getting to the start line. Crossing that historic start line. Where all the legends, all the historic figures, and top elites have started. It was finally mine to start.

My only “game plan” was to soak in the moment. Everything felt new, yet so familiar—like I’d run this course for years through a TV screen. But this time, I was living it. Every step, every mile, with my feet, heart, and soul.

I tried my best to go slow. Not to burn out. Used the porta potties three times. Very unlike me. But who cares?! I wasn’t going for time. Only to cross the finish line before 5:30pm to be able to have an official time and have my third star count officially for the Abbot World Marathon Majors.

I took a lot of photos. Very unlike me. But I did. I kissed all the Wellesley girls. Had beers with the Boston College boys. Fist-pumped all the kids. FaceTimed my nieces and nephews three to four times. Showed them what I was seeing. Got so much boost from them! @interiors86

When I saw Jocelyn @joselinthewarrior in the first 5K, I told her seeing her was going to be my lucky charm. I was not wrong.

I knew I had to tackle the Newton Hills and of course, the famous Heartbreak Hill. The first hill felt easy. So did the second hill. And by the time I crested Heartbreak, I looked back at the banner and thought, that was IT? That wasn’t too bad. It felt easy. Like a cold glass of water on a hot summer day! @caliragan

With less than 5 miles to go, I looked at my watch and was shocked at how fast I was going. But with every mile, a PR seemed more and more likely. But I didn’t come to Boston to PR?! Or did I?

Rest of caption in the comments 👇🏼