For Frisco's Andrea Sieling, the last year has been spent preparing to live out her lifelong goal of running in the Boston Marathon.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would have the chance to run Boston," Sieling said.
A former runner in college, Andrea rediscovered that dream in the spring of 2019, when she ran a 5K race as part of Team Hoyt Texas - a group made up of volunteers who run while pushing people with disabilities in running wheelchairs. Andrea pushed her daughter, Emerson, who has cerebral palsy.
"All of my focus is her," Sieling said. "Everything for me was put to the side. Being given this opportunity to dust my shoes off really has sparked an excitement that I needed."
Excitement because of an invitation to represent Team Hoyt in this spring's Boston Marathon, only to have the race postponed until September because of coronavirus concerns.
"Not canceled, but postponed," Sieling said. "It was the biggest sigh of relief that we had another chance to run this dream."
A dream still alive for runners - but a nightmare for the Boston Athletic Association to shift an event the size of the Boston Marathon to a new date.
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"It meant taking everything and moving it into spaces on the calendar that didn't exist," said Boston Athletic Association C.E.O. Tom Grilk. "How do you find ways to do all of those things? Our staff, like everyone, while operating in a remote environment, has been able to go a very long way in achieving all of that."
Which is why Andrea Sieling continues to train four days a week, still with a chance to complete her goal of finishing the now-postponed 2020 Boston Marathon.
"I visualize it, I dream it, I can almost taste and feel what it's going to be like to cross that finish line."
