By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)
Midweek #HotSportsTakes is a weekly segment here on SuiteSports, where we offer shallow and somewhat incendiary analysis on random hot-button sports topics of the day.
Let's get right to it.
On Meb Keflezighi Becoming the First American in 20 Years to Win the Boston Marathon:
Let me first say how awesome this year's Boston Marathon was, and not just because the heavy police/military presence focused on keeping people safe, and not busting college kids for drinking out of solo cups along the race path.
It was a pretty inspiring race all around. If you haven't stood along the street for the last few miles of it, you're missing out. I don't mean when guys like Keflezighi are running by, though it was awesome to see him leading the pack at mile marker 23.5, I mean when the "normal people" are running.
You can see they're beat, and they're just digging down for every bit of strength they have to complete this life goal. Then you have the crowd on the side, yelling words of encouragement and giving high fives, it brings a smile to your face and, surprisingly, seems to actually give the runners a little extra wind.
Having an American finally win the Marathon this year, of all years, was incredibly sweet, but the guy who wins is never really the story. It's the triumph of those non-professional runners that complete the ultimate test of human endurance in front of their friends and families, and that's why the bombs struck a chord with so many Bostonians last year.
