Introduce yourself (who you are, where you're from, what you do, etc.)
My name is Da’Rel Patterson. I was born and raised in South Jamaica, Queens, but I have lived in Atlanta for the past twenty years. I work as a financial statistician at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
What are your thoughts on Boston 2020 being cancelled? How did you handle the initial postponement and eventual cancellation, mentally and physically?
I am certainly not surprised that the Boston Marathon cancelled. Covid-19 has placed a lot of pressure on public resources, including police officers and medical providers. I imagine that it would be difficult to stage such a large-scale event, particularly one that would place additional pressure on already strained resources. Given the state of the world at this time, I handled the announcement with great understanding. I am also thankful that the BAA stepped up and offered full refunds to all participants. I am sure that decision came a significant cost.
Do you plan to run Boston 2020 virtually? Why or why not?
I am still waiting to receive further details before I make my final decision on the whether I will participate in the virtual Boston Marathon. My inclination, however, is that I will participate because this will likely be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I doubt that there will be another virtual Boston Marathon, at least not any time soon, so it would be cool to have the medal and paraphernalia from such a unique experience – at minimum, it would make for a cool story to tell in future years.
Do you plan to run Boston 2021? Why or why not?
I will likely participate in Boston 2021. I believe that it may be one of the first opportunities to return to large-scale big city marathons. Assuming the BAA is able to pull it off, I think the energy will be electric, and I want to be a part of that.
How did you get started in running? Tell us a little about your early running career through present.
I got started running by participating in the 2012 Inaugural MLK 5K in Atlanta. My company was a co-sponsor of the race and, as the youngest person in my division, I was asked to participate on behalf of the company. I had never participated in a road race of any kind before, and it proved to be a humbling experience. In hindsight, I was dressed completely inappropriately – I wore air force 1’s, super long (and heavy) basketball shorts, and a university hoodie. It also didn’t help that the course was pretty hilly. I ended up jogging and walking my way to a 37:31 finish time. I felt proud to complete the race, but simultaneously disappointed in my performance as compared to others on the course. This race ended up serving as a wake-up call to how unhealthy my lifestyle had become, in general. From that day forward, I committed myself to a healthier diet and regular exercise. With this change is lifestyle, running became easier. I also joined Black Men Run, which introduced me to a larger network of like-minded individuals; it also let me know that the running community was much larger and more pervasive than I had previously imagined. Things escalated quickly from there. I returned to the MLK 5K the following year (2013) and shaved nearly 10 minutes off my time. Over time, my finish times continued to drop and my preferred distance lengthened. Today, I finish 5Ks in less than half the time it took me when I first started in 2011.
Why did you decide to run your first marathon?
I decided to run my first marathon out of a combination of curiosity and peer pressure. Once I started matriculating within the running community, I quickly learned how many people were running marathons. The familiar adage of “if they can do it, so can I” quickly settled in, and I found myself running my first marathon in 2014 at the Rock n’ Roll Savannah Marathon.
When did you set the goal of qualifying for Boston and what inspired you to try?
I set the goal to run the Boston Marathon after learning about it from a friend of mine – Margo Gregory. She was the first person to tell me about the race, and she made it sound magical. The fact that qualifier times were required only made the appeal greater, as it motivated the competitive side of my personality. I remember expressing the idea to a few people; one in particular expressed clear doubt in my ability to do it. Naturally, that only made me double-down on my effort.
What was your journey to BQ like? Was your qualifying time for Boston 2020 your first BQ, and if not have you run Boston before?
My journey to a BQ was relatively quick, but it was extremely demanding. I ramped up my mileage and intensity and set a goal of cutting 15 minutes off each successive marathon. My debut marathon time was 3:57, so I figured I could get a BQ in two years if I ran two marathons per year. I ended up sticking rather close to that schedule – I worked very hard and very consistently. It took me about 19 months before I eventually qualified with a 2:58 in July of 2016. That first BQ is, to this day, my most memorable race experience. I left everything that I had on that course, and the reward of hearing the announcer say that I had just run a Boston qualifying time moved me to emotions that I didn’t even realize I had been holding. Since then, I’ve run bigger races and faster times, but none of them top that initial BQ. My qualifying time for Boston 2020 was a 2:37, which is also my current PR.
Why did you decide to run Boston 2020? How did it feel to be accepted into Boston 2020?
I wanted to run Boston 2020 to improve upon my current Boston PR (2:57) and to support a friend and training partner who was set to run his first Boston Marathon this year. We have logged a lot of training hours and long runs together as he advanced towards this goal, and I wanted to be there when he crossed the Boston Marathon finish line. I was excited about this race, and I was excited about my qualifying time, which I thought would put me in wave 1 corral 1 for the first time.
What did you learn from this journey - from BQ to postponement to cancellation?
I have learned that nothing is guaranteed and flexibility is key – in both my training and my race plans.
Do you plan to run Boston 2020 virtually? Why or why not?
I am still waiting to receive further details before I make my final decision on the whether I will participate in the virtual Boston Marathon. My inclination, however, is that I will participate because this will likely be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I doubt that there will be another virtual Boston Marathon, at least not any time soon, so it would be cool to have the medal and paraphernalia from such a unique experience – at minimum, it would make for a cool story to tell in future years.
Do you plan to run Boston 2021? Why or why not?
I will likely participate in Boston 2021. I believe that it may be one of the first opportunities to return to large-scale big city marathons. Assuming the BAA is able to pull it off, I think the energy will be electric, and I want to be a part of that.
How did you get started in running? Tell us a little about your early running career through present.
I got started running by participating in the 2012 Inaugural MLK 5K in Atlanta. My company was a co-sponsor of the race and, as the youngest person in my division, I was asked to participate on behalf of the company. I had never participated in a road race of any kind before, and it proved to be a humbling experience. In hindsight, I was dressed completely inappropriately – I wore air force 1’s, super long (and heavy) basketball shorts, and a university hoodie. It also didn’t help that the course was pretty hilly. I ended up jogging and walking my way to a 37:31 finish time. I felt proud to complete the race, but simultaneously disappointed in my performance as compared to others on the course. This race ended up serving as a wake-up call to how unhealthy my lifestyle had become, in general. From that day forward, I committed myself to a healthier diet and regular exercise. With this change is lifestyle, running became easier. I also joined Black Men Run, which introduced me to a larger network of like-minded individuals; it also let me know that the running community was much larger and more pervasive than I had previously imagined. Things escalated quickly from there. I returned to the MLK 5K the following year (2013) and shaved nearly 10 minutes off my time. Over time, my finish times continued to drop and my preferred distance lengthened. Today, I finish 5Ks in less than half the time it took me when I first started in 2011.
Why did you decide to run your first marathon?
I decided to run my first marathon out of a combination of curiosity and peer pressure. Once I started matriculating within the running community, I quickly learned how many people were running marathons. The familiar adage of “if they can do it, so can I” quickly settled in, and I found myself running my first marathon in 2014 at the Rock n’ Roll Savannah Marathon.
When did you set the goal of qualifying for Boston and what inspired you to try?
I set the goal to run the Boston Marathon after learning about it from a friend of mine – Margo Gregory. She was the first person to tell me about the race, and she made it sound magical. The fact that qualifier times were required only made the appeal greater, as it motivated the competitive side of my personality. I remember expressing the idea to a few people; one in particular expressed clear doubt in my ability to do it. Naturally, that only made me double-down on my effort.
What was your journey to BQ like? Was your qualifying time for Boston 2020 your first BQ, and if not have you run Boston before?
My journey to a BQ was relatively quick, but it was extremely demanding. I ramped up my mileage and intensity and set a goal of cutting 15 minutes off each successive marathon. My debut marathon time was 3:57, so I figured I could get a BQ in two years if I ran two marathons per year. I ended up sticking rather close to that schedule – I worked very hard and very consistently. It took me about 19 months before I eventually qualified with a 2:58 in July of 2016. That first BQ is, to this day, my most memorable race experience. I left everything that I had on that course, and the reward of hearing the announcer say that I had just run a Boston qualifying time moved me to emotions that I didn’t even realize I had been holding. Since then, I’ve run bigger races and faster times, but none of them top that initial BQ. My qualifying time for Boston 2020 was a 2:37, which is also my current PR.
Why did you decide to run Boston 2020? How did it feel to be accepted into Boston 2020?
I wanted to run Boston 2020 to improve upon my current Boston PR (2:57) and to support a friend and training partner who was set to run his first Boston Marathon this year. We have logged a lot of training hours and long runs together as he advanced towards this goal, and I wanted to be there when he crossed the Boston Marathon finish line. I was excited about this race, and I was excited about my qualifying time, which I thought would put me in wave 1 corral 1 for the first time.
What did you learn from this journey - from BQ to postponement to cancellation?
I have learned that nothing is guaranteed and flexibility is key – in both my training and my race plans.
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