Winchester Woman Plans to Run Boston Marathon Again in 2014

Winchester resident Karina Chmielewski was unable to complete the 2013 Boston Marathon due to the bombings, but that has not deterred her from planning to run it again next year.

Chmielewski, 37, running in her first Boston Marathon, said the first five miles were strong and under her target before the pain set in, according to an email she sent out to her charity and supporters. Ten days before the marathon she suffered a hip injury, making it so she could no longer run comfortably without being seriously injured.

"I decided to enjoy every mile I had left. I high-fived every single kid I could, I let a strange, cute college guy kiss me (on the cheek)...and ate so (many) oranges and candy given out by little kids that I am seriously dreading to step on a scale tomorrow," she wrote. "In Wellesley (around mile 14/15) I saw the second medic tent with a big sign about a shuttle back to Boston. With tears I was seriously considering it, but before I reached it, I saw Carla Tardif from Family Reach (Foundation) looking out for the charity runners and cheering. After (a) few exchanged tears I knew I couldn't stop then, so limping I continued my jog to Copley."

A Show of Support

While making her way along the course, Chmielewski spotted her co-worker, Mark, who joined her for about a mile before she was accompanied by her brother Chris through Heartbreak Hill, according to the email. "Then it was downhill (five) miles to Copley. By then my pain meds wore off, so I ended up jogging, limping and walking towards Copley," she wrote.

Shock Sets In

In an interview with Winchester Patch Wednesday, Chmielewski said she was laboring down the final stretch and was just a half-mile from completing her first marathon when the bombs detonated near the finish line. The blasts resulted in the deaths of three people and injured more than 100.

"I was completely shocked," she said. "I was on my last mile and really looking forward to hugging my kids and seeing my husband again after 21 miles of limping and being in a lot of pain, and not being able to see them and not knowing if they lived...it was really horrible.

"It was the worst two to three hours of my life."

A Family Divided

Before the explosions, Chmielewski's 3-year-old son, Jakob, and 6-year-old daughter, Nella, wanted to go to Dunkin' Donuts and begged their grandmother to take them there and she agreed and took them there. 

"My husband Tom was there waiting for me and he was not as close (to the explosions) so he was OK," she said. "But it was just horrible. He did not know if they made it to Dunkin' Donuts and where they were, and it took everyone a little bit of time after the cell towers went offline to find each other. It took me about two hours to get through to them."

After the race was stopped, Chmielewski said she was walking around Boston and volunteers told her to head to Boston Common to the new family gathering area but no one was there.

"I was stopping people with cell phones every five minutes so I could try and call my husband, but the cell towers were off so I could not make a call that went through," she said. "A woman gave me her jacket because I was just shivering and really cold, and some other woman, because I was limping and could barely walk, stopped a cab and asked a passenger to give it up to me.

"He was actually a doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and he said he could not give it to me because he was going to MGH to help with the surgery, but he let me in and we drove him to MGH. Then the cab driver took me to Winchester and gave me his cell phone and at that time the call went through and I was able to talk to my husband."

A Return to Boston in 2014

When asked if she has any intention of running the 2014 Boston Marathon, Chmielewski said she had three reasons why she would be running again.

"I am running next year. 100 percent. No question about it," she said. "First, I did not complete it. Second, I really, really, really enjoyed the 25 1/2 miles that I made progress on, and the people were just amazing and it was probably the best race I have ever been in in my life.

"And third, I just want to make the point that whoever did this and for whatever reason it does not really matter. All the people that were running will continue running, and we are not going to be scared."

Chmielewski, a cancer researcher for Cambridge-based Agios Pharmaceuticals, said she raised $9,462 for the Family Reach Foundation.

Previous Coverage

Winchester Resident Runs Boston Marathon for Family Reach Foundation

2013 Boston Marathon: Winchester Runners