Sports

Norton Couple Survives Boston Marathon...Sort Of

Kimberly and Vincent Greene raise just under $10k for Catholic Charities Basic Needs program.

If you were tracking Kimberly and Vincent Greene on Marathon Monday, you may have wondered what happened to Kim after the halfway point as her finish time was not posted on the Boston Marathon website.

Technically, she beat Vin to the finish line, but not on foot. Medical personnel pulled her off the course just before mile 15 due to severe leg cramping.  After she was treated in the tent, she was released and waited for a shuttle bus headed for Copley Square.  At that point, Vin headed back onto the course only to find that the roads were being reopened in Wellesley.  He literally raced the cleanup crews all the way to Heartbreak Hill, staying just ahead of the course closures and, more importantly, water stop closures.  Meanwhile, Kim experienced severe nausea on the shuttle bus and earned a wheelchair ride into the finish line medical tent, where she was treated for heat exhaustion.  

Vin managed to make it to the finish line with a time of 6:05:41 while Kim was labeled with the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish). Vin did not finish unscathed, however, as his Reeboks were bloody by the end of the race. When Vin finished, he pulled off his socks because his feet were swelling from the heat. That's when he noticed that his heels were rubbed raw.

The Boston Athletic Association sent out an email before the race explaining that runners could defer until next year due to the impending heat. Temperatures reached mid to high 80s, causing many people to drop out along the 26.2-mile route despite the numerous water and misting stations.

“The weather was horrendous, but we never really considered not running the race,” Kimberly said. “Our donors have been extremely generous this year, as they've been in the last three years, and we wanted to represent them and Catholic Charities on the course.”

And of course there is always next year.

This was their fourth Boston Marathon in a row, and many people have consistently supported the Greenes. This year, they raised about $9,800 of their $10,000 goal for Catholic Charities Basic Needs services. Over $32,000 was raised for the organization as a whole. The Greenes will be accepting donations until May 1. To help them reach their goal, visit Kimberly and Vincent’s team pages.

The Greenes would like to thank the people listed below, for their help and support:

  • Jen and Jeff Putt: your ice, oranges, and smiles were a welcome sight in Wellesley.
  • Jenna Clark: you kept Victoria safe and entertained in 90 degree weather for 8+ hours; for that, you deserve a medal!
  • All the medical volunteers: including Kim's new best friend "Jim," who offered to put 29 as her age on the intake form.
  • The Wellesley College students: especially the one holding the sign about being a Time Lord.
  • Richard White: a qualified runner who found our marathon team on Crowdrise and decided to set up his own page to help us reach our fundraising goals.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: Information and photos were provided by Kim Greene. Unless manually changed, the credit automatically lists editor Kelly A. Mello and due to technical issues was not listed correctly in an earlier version of this story.

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