Name:Savanah Harshbarger
Age:22
Hometown:Marblehead
Occupation:Clinical research coordinator in the emergency department of Massachusetts General Hospital
Q: Have you run a marathon before? If so, how many, and which ones?
Iran my first marathon, the Baystate Marathon, this past October in Lowell. I?d just graduated from college and itfelt like the right time to take on something bigger than myself, to commit to something so lofty that I wasn?t even sure I had the energy, ability or time to pursue it.
Q. This is your first time running Boston. Why this year?
A. I?ve been working in the emergency department at MGH and have witnessed the traumas that came through the doors of this Level I trauma center every day. I wanted to find a different way to give back to these patients and families, and with that in mind, I submitted an application to run with the MGH Marathon Team for Emergency Response.
Q. What was training like this winter?
A.Though this is my first winter training season, I?ve heard that even the vets have struggled with the conditions this year. My saving grace has been a pair of metal treads that slipped over my shoes to lend more traction on ice, slush and snow. But the hardest part of winter training is in getting out of bed to start.
Q. Why do you run it?
A.I?m running to give back to the patients and families I work with every day. But I?m also running to test my own boundaries. This training has shown me that I have the capacity to not only envision the finish line but also to carve the daily path it takes to get there. I have literally shown myself that I?m someone I can count on and I hope to carry this unshakable feeling with me into the future.
Q. Tell us about the the charity group you?re running for.
A. I?ll be running as part of the Mass. General Hospital Team for Emergency Response.As part of my commitment to this team, I?ve pledged to raise $8,000, and though this sometimes feels like its own part-time job, I?m more than 70 percent of the way to reaching my goal. The funds we raise provide critical support for emergency care, disaster relief and disaster preparedness training at MGH, efforts that benefit victims worldwide.
Q. What are you most looking forward to on Marathon day?
A. I cannot wait to see all the spectators and fans! Marathon Monday is truly a celebration of the people of Boston and I can?t wait to be a part of that dynamic. I?ve heard from lots of runners who usually run with music that somewhere along the line, they lost their headphones and ran off crowd support?cheering, applause, posters high fives. I hope to have the same experience.
Q. What is something you’d like non-runners to understand?
A. I?d want non-runners to understand that any of them couldbecomea runner if they wanted to. Marathon runners aren?t special! We?re just people who chose a goal and spent four months trying to get there. We all started somewhere, and if running a marathon is something that you want to do, you can find a whole community out there pounding the pavement, waiting for you with plenty of advice, a good dose of humor and open arms.
As told to Katie Morrison