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Medfield’s Mini Marathon Monday

By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff

Everything in Medfield changed on March 13. Most government buildings closed. Businesses shut down. The day was particularly monumental for kids and teachers, who had no idea it would be the last day they would spend together in a classroom. Since then, educators and students have found themselves missing their daily routine.

Fourth grade teacher Margot Hayes was missing her students and her usual running routine. Hayes was scheduled to run her fifth Boston Marathon on April 20. After thinking about how to spend what would have been Marathon Monday, Hayes came up with the idea to complete a run around Medfield, while saying hello to some of her students. 

She first emailed Dale Street teachers and staff to see if anyone wanted to join her, and then emailed her students, telling them of her plan to run and asking if any of them wanted her to run by their house. 

Sara Isaacson, a fellow fourth grade teacher, joined Hayes for the run. The two started on Oak Street, before making their way through Phillip, Indian Hill, Rocky Lane, Stuart Street, Hawthorn Drive, Farm Street, and Stoneybrook Road. When she charted her route, Hayes was surprised to see that she and Isaacson would be running 17.7 miles - more than half of what she would have been running for the Boston Marathon.  

Hayes and Isaacson had no idea that a simple gesture would bring dozens of people together to celebrate two of their favorite teachers.

“In my mind, I thought there would be five or six families out there. But it was unbelievable,” says Hayes. Instead, she and Isaacson were greeted by over 200 people, including current and former students, parents, and even fellow marathoners. “People had signs made, they had water stocked for us. One guy had marathon shoes on,” said Hayes. One supporter mentioned how it was just as much about missing that day and trying to continue the spirit of the race as it was for Hayes. “The whole surprise that it became such a big thing in 48 hours was fantastic. Seeing the kids was the best. That made me cry a couple times throughout the run.”

“I didn’t think it was going to be nearly as big as it was," said Isaacson. "We’ve been away from the students for so long. We say we miss them so much, but when we really saw them out there with the music and the posters, the fact that they were even willing to do that was so, so incredible. And the ones that we didn’t even reach out to, like the older students - I think that was really special."

Hayes and Isaacson finished the 17.7 mile run in three hours, 56 minutes, and 22 seconds. Though nothing can truly replace the feeling of walking into a classroom filled with smiling faces each day, the run did give Hayes and Isaacson the chance to be reunited with some of their students again. Hopefully, at this time next year, they'll be back in the classroom. But for now, these two teachers and their students know how much they all care about one another.

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