Autumn in Massachusetts is often wet and chilly, but the weather in Westfield on that second Saturday in October last year was a runner’s dream: not too cold, not too warm, and just the right amount of clouds without rain. It was a perfect day for a race, and this one was years in the making.

That morning, Ana Nunez and Art Demas laced up in the parking lot of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail, secured bibs to their shorts, and turned on their racing apps to track their first-ever marathon: the virtual 2021 Boston Marathon.

Equipped with water, jelly beans, and pretzels, the partners took off at around 8 a.m, each running their own race, as Art insisted. He didn’t want to hold back Ana, the faster of the two. During most races, Ana usually disregarded Art’s encouragement, since she likes to cross the finish line with him. But this was their first marathon, so she obliged.

It wasn’t an entirely smooth ride. Ana’s toe started cramping at mile 7. She was worried—there were still so many miles ahead! But she managed to work it out by wiggling her toes around in her shoe and munching on pretzels to keep her mind off the discomfort. She continued on.

Their routes eventually crossed, just as Art ran out of water and snacks. He took some jelly beans from Ana but refused to drink her remaining water. “Go on and finish your race,” he told her. He’d catch up eventually. While Ana did run ahead, it wasn’t to finish her race. Instead, she reached their parked car, grabbed more water and snacks, and ran back to Art.

“All of a sudden, I see this bib and I know it’s got to be Ana because she can track me,” Art says. “She knew I was in trouble.”

At that point, Ana’s marathon was already over; her app stopped tracking her the moment she crossed the finish line in 6:42:52. It didn’t matter. Together again, they ran the last two miles of Art’s marathon, who finished with a time of 7:44:27. They cheered for each other all the way to the end.

Read the rest of the article on Runner’s World website.