On April 21st,
Marathon Monday, runners ran with the “Boston Strong” mind
set. These people were there to represent the victims of the
marathon bombings last year, and among those runners was Melrose High special
education teacher, Ms. Mochi.
“I’m running for my mom,”
Mochi says, who ran with the Mass Eye and Ear team. Mochi’s mom is
deaf and has to use a copular implant to help with her hearing. But
the implant had some complications and now gives her headaches and
dizziness. Her mom is unable to travel so Mochi says the Boston
Marathon was the “first time she saw me run.”
This is Mochi’s fourth
marathon; she has run marathons in Chicago, Disney World, and Marine corps in
D.C. The Boston Marathon has been the hardest one she had
done. And applying for this year’s marathon took more time than past
ones. Mochi signed up with Team Mass Eye and Ear which had a “very
lengthy application, which took me an hour to fill out.” The
application consisted of questions and mini essays. Mochi said “out
of the blue they [Team Mass Eye and Ear] called me at the high school and asked
if I could do a conference call. Then during the call they offered
me the spot right then and there.”
Part of running for this
team Mochi had to raise $6500. “I was really anxious,” Mochi says about raising
the money, “but I hit my goal in early march.” Mochi said she “did a lot of
social media” to raise the money, and had the help of friends and colleagues
who donated.
Now that the marathon is
over Mochi says, "I felt really great and so happy to be done, because it
was very hot that day." Ms. Mochi got the chance to run with a girl on her
team that didn't get to finish the marathon last year. Mochi said,
"it was really nice, we cried the whole way down boylston street
Ms. Mochi's next race will
be a ten miler in October. She hopes to run another marathon in the near
future.
By: Anna Garofalo
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