April 26, 2013 at 2:08 p.m.
A race to remember
Boston bombings in the forefront as local coachesprepare for Oklahoma City marathon
A race to remember
Little did he know at the time how intertwined marathons and terrorism would become.
Losch, a James Williams Middle School social studies instructor and assistant coach for the Rhinelander High School boys' hockey team, and friend Gary Zarda, also a teacher and coach in the School District of Rhinelander, will take part in Sunday's marathon, which starts and ends at the Oklahoma City National Memorial - the site of the old Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building where 168 people lost their lives to a bombing on April 19,1995.
The marathon will take place just 13 days after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 170.
The road to Oklahoma City
The Rhinelander High School coaching fraternity has several members who have tried their hand at road running. Perhaps most notable is head boys' hockey and cross country coach M.J. Laggis, who ran the Boston Marathon in 2006. But several others have tried the sport and Losch said he was inspired by his peers to do the same five years ago.
"I think M.J. was probably the first out of the school district folks who I knew was doing some distance running when he qualified for Boston," Losch said. "I think that was an influence of some sort. If other guys can do it, then maybe I need to think about getting up off the couch and moving a bit more."
Around the same time, Losch and his family went on vacation to Texas. En route, Losch visited Oklahoma City and toured the memorial.
"In my younger years, I wasn't always wise and good about really understanding the magnitude of how lives were impacted like that," he said. "It was just a historical or political event. Being there myself sort of changed that perception. It was one of those place that kind of (leaves you) speechless.
"Just taking it in and a lot of thinking after a lot of miles driving. There are places, those special or sacred places, all over the country, but that was one that made a pretty strong impression on me."
During the visit, Losch learned more about the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and how it supports the memorial.
Zarda, an English instructor and assistant football coach at RHS, said he dabbled in distance running as a track athlete in high school and was inspired by Laggis and fellow teacher Doug Nelson to revisit the sport.
"If other people are taking on this challenge, it's something I should consider myself," he said.
Zarda was a student-teacher at Stevens Point Area Senior High School when the Oklahoma City bombing occurred.
"I recall distinctly the moment when I first saw what had happened and the emotions surrounding that," he said. "Time went along, and (Wil and I) had discussions about that as an issue and how it represents some things politically in our country and how we deal with each other."
Those conversations eventually led to Losch extending an invitation to Zarda to join him at this year's Oklahoma City marathon.
"The final decision to do it was inspired by Wil's passion for it. He wrote a very personal email about this meaning something to him and, in a very non-pushy sort of way," Zarda said. "Having read about what they are involved in, their focus is to both remember the folks that passed on that day in 1995, but also it's about looking forward and offering hope and positives from that situation."
Both Losch and Zarda have run marathons before, but none have been under circumstances like this.
In the shadows of Boston
Visions of Oklahoma City, and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York City and Washington D.C., flooded to the forefront again April 15, when two explosions occurred, 10 seconds apart, near the finish of the Boston Marathon. After the initial shock of the explosions wore off, it quickly became apparent that another act of terrorism had taken place on U.S. soil.
Zarda said several thoughts went through his mind as he processed what was taking place.
"It was a couple of layers. With Oklahoma there were multiple layers too, but just on the face of it, there's just this compassion for these folks whose lives have been lost," he said. "The same is true in Boston when you see these people who are attacked in a moment of vulnerability. You see all the imagery associated with people who had been terribly hurt."
But it was not just the harm inflicted. It was who did the harming and the reasons they were there in the first place.
"Both groups that were harmed at that moment were giving people," Zarda added. "You see charity runners, most of the folks who would have been crossing (the finish line) at that moment were charity runners who hadn't 'qualified' for Boston, but they were allowed to be part of the race because they were willing to give to charitable causes. Then the spectators are there to support other people. So you have these two groups who are dedicated to helping other folks who were victimized. That was a pretty powerful part of it."
Losch said he could not help but spin the news forward to Oklahoma City.
"My immediate thoughts were this could change the emotional state of a lot of the runners, not necessarily out of fear but just maybe making the emotions they might have connected to the events of '95 more raw," he said.
Shortly after the attack in Boston, Oklahoma City marathon organizers put out a press release saying, "the Marathon already has a safety and security plan in place and we will watch the intel from the law enforcement agencies in the coming days and make the appropriate decisions for the race or any changes in security."
The irony of what took place in Boston and what the Oklahoma City marathon is about has been omnipresent in the days leading up to the race.
"They're getting ready to do this race, which is a positive reaction to that tragedy (18) years ago," Zarda said. "And they see that mechanism of a race now turned toward the very thing they're trying to overcome."
Given all that has transpired, Losch said he will be fascinated to gauge the mood of the crowd Sunday.
"I'm curious to see how that might impact the mood, the opening ceremonies or recognition at this (event), being so close to it," he said. "I don't know if its necessarily going to change it for me personally, but I'll be curious and I'm not going to assume anything about the other hundreds and thousands of runners down there. I think a lot of them are going to be much more connected to (Oklahoma City) and those events in 1995, whether its family, friends or other survivors there. I'm going to expect maybe the whole range and a heighten remembrance because what happened in Boston might change it for other people."
The opening ceremonies will include 168 seconds of silence, one second for every person killed in the attack 18 years ago.
Zarda admitted it will be a "long, long, long while to contemplate," but foresees the event returning to it main focus.
"I think the folks in Oklahoma City don't want this to be an entirely somber event," he said. "It is a celebration. It's a celebration of having overcome difficulties. It's a celebration of survival and lives that have continued on."
Training, goals and expectations
Preparing for the race itself has been a challenge. Losch and Zarda said they've done what they can to train during the winter, from running on a treadmill, to running the halls of the high school, to running on the roads. Zarda said weather conditions have made running outside difficult.
"One of the effects of this never-ending winter that everyone's dealt with is, as a runner, it's an additional challenge," he said. "I've only in the last couple of weeks been able to be on a road without snow. It's extremely difficult to prepare yourself to run a specific time because the elements always kind of alter what your pace is going to be."
Oklahoma City will be Losch's fifth marathon and Zarda's eighth. Above all else, both share one common goal - to finish.
"I want to finish," Losch said. "I've run a couple of these and, coming off a longer winter, it wasn't the best physical training for me. I think to take in the atmosphere. I appreciate the unique nature of this event compared to the others that I've run."
Zarda added he would like to finish in under four hours, but if he can't accomplish that, he at least wants to feel strong, physically, at the finish line.
"I competed at Journeys Marathon in Eagle River and though it wasn't my fastest race, it's the one I'm most proud of because at the end, I felt strong," he said. "I was in the midst of other runners who were in a good place too. I just felt good about the effort, despite the time."
Losch said Sunday's race will mean as much to him spiritually as it will physically.
"I guess you sort of feel just honored to observe that and be a part of it, but I'm still going to go down there just to run and soak it in ... Just to be there as another body moving through that course might just be another form of support," he said.
Heading to Oklahoma City
Losch and Zarda left Rhinelander Friday after school and will arrive in Oklahoma City at some point this afternoon in preparation for tomorrow's 6:30 a.m. starting gun.
Both said the 2,000-plus mile round-trip drive is bound to be a highlight on its own.
"Anytime you can get a road trip with a buddy, there's always room for good conversation," Losch said. "You can catch up on teaching tales, coaching stories, family stuff. I imagine we'll have a fair amount of conversations about the event itself. That's all part of the process."
"I look forward to just getting on the road and seeing a different part of the country," Zarda added. "I've not gone down the particular corridor that our travel will take us. I've been through some of the states, but just haven't seen the country from that particular path. I look forward to those conversations too. Wil and I agree on some things, disagree on others, but I think that we've come to model what Oklahoma City seeks, which is you have these issues in the world, it's better to deal with those reasonably and from a place of progress than just haggle about them and deal with them in negative ways."
Editor's Note: Losch, like several other participants in Sunday's Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, has set up a Crowdrise page to raise money for the Oklahoma City National Memorial. More information can be found by clicking on the links below.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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