2026 Run to Home Base: Fenway Park 9KM: 40:16 (7:12/mile) 30th/851, 2nd RTX, 4th 40-49 A/G

If you decide to read this, I ask you to support the Run to Homebase Charity with anything. Your contributions of any size will help save our US soldiers, their families, and their lives. Like for real.

Kevin Patrick Coyle – Fundraising For Red Sox Foundation https://share.google/8mFtaO8ZKXArGSwxv

We are at war. And because no support has been provided by the USG, we must rise.

Thank you to my supporters: Doug and Donna Coyle, (Dad), Linda and Tony Mariconda (Mom), Thomas St George, Erik Holladay, Nirisi Angulo, Sadrackson Lafleur, Eric Szymczyk, Nancy DimentoJerome, Katie Kelly, Elizabeth Madden, Jesus Amaya, and the $100 from “Anonymous”.

I am behind the Boston Red Sox dugout box 114 in the reserved RTX seats. I just saw a Red Sox World Champion and now I am hearing from a father who lost his son’s life not on the battlefield but here by their own hands in the country he served to protect.

The sun is shining brightly, sweat is running down my face, there are 3,100 runners and walkers across 5K and 9K distance finishing below the green monster. Their smiles are also bright crossing Homeplate of Fenway Park.

Now I am at Logan Airport drinking a 24oz Sam Adam’s, eating Legal Sea Foods Boston Clam Chowder and Crab Cake because when in Boston…

It had been a hard, stressful, exciting, rewarding week with so many stories so let’s start with last Saturday. I had run 14miles on the treadmill in Tucson, Arizona with 99% of my runs inside this year for maximum efficiency in studying for the final TCP CPA exam this Monday. I managed to run 672 miles this year so far and ran 40miles the last 3 weeks in a row. After the 14, back to the books, Sunday left early, studying all day long on the planes TUC-DEN-BOS. Drive to Andover and more study, off day.

Monday work till 730pm, no run. Dinner at Coyle’s Tavern because my last name is Coyle so I had to go! 8pm up till 11pm studying

Tuesday work till 5pm, Happy Hour till 7pm, study till 11pm.

Wednesday work, earn a Raytheon LADS Finance All Stars Award for my efforts with events, team building, and Morale. Out at 5pm, managed a soaking, sweaty 7mile run through the nature preserves along the Merrimack river. My feet went numb multiple times resulting in run, walk, and several stops. Dinner, study till 11pm. I think this numbness was from the 14M, flying, and then sitting on my ass for 3 days; the sedentary life is not for me. Lobster Roll #1 🦞 and study.

Thursday cut out to drive to my own hotel, back online, then get in a 4mile run along the Merrimack at a late 730pm. There were rowers along the way passing by UMass boathouse.

Friday up at 630am, study 2hrs, drive to packet pickup at the New Balance store and recall a time in 2010 when I was part of a running gait analysis PhD study at the New Balance HQ. I then drove to Storrow drive and did a 2.65 mile shakeout run at 8:20/mile. My legs continued to get bad pins and needles from too much sitting and lack of exercise including swim and bike. But it was a highlight to run past my old Henderson Boathouse at NU where I spent many cold 5am rows on the Charles and became an endurance athlete. I drove to Woburn to my next hotel, studied for 3hrs, then took a 4hour simulated exam with a 63. Target is >50 and I improved 1pt over last Saturday’s 4hour sim before the 14m run. My goal of 69 which would have given me confidence was missed so more studies here in the next 1.5 days! Then to the 99 for Lobster Roll #2 🦞 then I relaxed with 2 Old Fashioned’s and went to bed around 11.

Saturday RACE DAY:
I woke at 5am, ate 2 coffee cakes for 660 calories, 12oz Regular RedBull for another 220. It was only a 20min drive to the $20 RTX parking, cheaper than the $55 parking I saw for the Sox game later on the day. Looking across the street I knew I was at mile 25 of the Boston Marathon. I followed my wife here a few months ago in her first Boston.

I got some swag and then met our CFO and some of the 15 runners I helped recruit from Qatar, Texas, Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and more having raised over $7,000. Reminder to donate please! We heard from Generals, Service members, and more. It was emotional listening to the stories and how our fundraising was literally saving lives. I knew then how important it was what we were doing and part of.

At 8am, 15min till start time, I had a 100 calories gel, no Caf like usual. It was only a 40min run, I barely needed this. The 848 9KM runners headed out of Fenway to start on Jersey St. (I’m from Jersey). I lined up with a hundred or so in front of me not sure how fast I would go. This was the first race for me since I ran the Tucson Marathon #52 in December; again with 8 colleagues including our VP Brenda Ortiz and Program Manager Tyler Krone.

I put the best song I could come up with to start the run. If you know, then you know. Tessie – Dropkick Murphy’s

RACE START

The wheelchair folks went first and I thought of the legends of Team Hoyt. I started my watch crossing the line and Avicii tunes took over including The Nights which is why I have his tattoo on my hand. He had taken his life back in 2018 so to be here racing for this meant a lot. Let’s go.

Like any big race, no one seeds themselves well so I was dodging people initially past those several hundred. 400m into it, I see a guy running BAREFOOT. In BOSTON? Well that dude had some guts. I look down at my watch and it’s clicking off like 6:25/mile…. I’m thinking yea, I don’t know about that. Then with all the buildings, yea probably not but I think it’s a good pace. Not all out, I was expecting around 40-42min for the 5.6miles. This would be 7:09-7:31/mile. The last several weeks I had been including some 400m efforts down to 7min mile inside the 14m long runs but that’s about it. I went 3:03 for the marathon last year in Seattle, but was also up 5-10pounds so didn’t know. I come up to Boylston st and saw Symphony Market. I was recalling all the times I went there when going to Northeastern University just minutes down the road. I come up on Boylston and I remember my 2 Boston Marathons ’09-3:38, ’10-3:12. I turn onto Mass Ave thinking about all the times I cycled this way. The runners were really few by now, a mile in. As I ran across the Mass Ave Bridge I recalled my many races here by boat, rowing for NU in ’02-’04 as a D1 Athlete which made me fall in love with this city. The whole week filled me with the spirit of this place and the value I have in it. Ah, Boston!

I turned right along the Charles River past MIT and made sure to look at my favorite views of Boston. Pace was locked in at 7:09/mile after the first 7:22 mile. As I come up to the turn and see the Police, I start counting the runners. I counted 27. Geez, I wasn’t expecting that. I didn’t know what to expect but OK.

I make the turn around and start heading West to the BU boathouse. By this time I am on my 2nd stint of feet on pins and needles inside my $250 Carbon Fiber Supershoes. I walked the first aid station for 3 seconds to quell it but it didnt work. I had to keep going. Suck it up buttercup.

I see the leaders coming back with some talented and fast females way up there. Well done! I now count 28. Back to it running near the double line where it is flatest. I get some high-five because of my Flag singlet but I missed seeing Thomas St George who I have been friends with since 2008 when I moved to Hudson, MA. He was in the Army. I also hadn’t seen him in 16 years so it was a bit of a reunion before the event when we tagged up.

My jams continue on. Then I merge into the 5K runners (1,168 of them) and walkers (567 of them) and I find myself zig zagging all over trying to find good space to the edges. Back to Boylston St, past the beautiful St Clement Catholic Church I had gone to a bit in my college days, and back towards Lansdowne St. I turned onto the clubbing central street and with 1 min to go, completely wiped out. Scrape the hand an arm, “Oh no, are you OK?” like 4-6 walkers right around me. I jump straight back up and say “Of course I am OK!” And take right off again!

I come in heading into Fenway Park and see Dave McGillivray who has been the Race Director for the Boston Marathon since 1988. He has also run Boston 54X after his RD duties are over. Wow. But for me what’s special about us is that we share the IRONMAN World Championship Finisher bond having raced in ’16 and ’19 on the Big Island. He’s a legend; 10X finisher.

Then, I continue on, I am on the outer edge of FENWAY!!! What a dream! The finish line is right ahead. 40:16. 7:12/mile with 12seconds of walk; it wouldn’t have mattered. I was the 2nd RTX Finisher behind Brandon Ambrose who also finished 3rd in my 40-49 A/G, 1 spot and 1:03 ahead of me. Well done Brandon!

I took it all in. I walked across home plate. After I joined RTX colleagues and some of my mates on the rooftop of Fenway. And wow, who knew there was an herb garden up there?!