PROUD TO BE PART OF HUMAN CHAIN

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Christina Minicucci sort of gave up marathoning in 2014. For understandable reasons.

Her first Boston Marathon was in 2013, the year of the bombing. She was running for Childrens Hospital. She made it to the Mass. Ave. Bridge when it was halted.

So, she was planning to run again in 2014, but she was injured while training after a bad fall.

So instead, because she wanted to run a marathon, ran the New York City Marathon in October of 2014, which ended up being an emotional event for her with everything that occurred the previous 18 months.

While still an avid runner, she called it a career, as a marathoner.

But it didn’t change her opinion of the distance or, in particular, the Boston Marathon tradition.

The Merrimack Valley Strider joined several other club members whose job is it to work as a “human chain” at the start of the famed event in Hopkinton.

The Monday race marked her sixth straight working the starting line.

“You are literally face to face with the top runners in the world,” said Minicucci, who is a Mass. State Rep. for the 14th Essex District, including North Andover and Haverhill.

“This year we did four human chains (for four different groups),” she said. “It makes you feel real emotional to be part of the race at such an important place, the start.”

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, waves up runners could come to the starting line where Minicucci & Co. would hold the line. Then the next group would move up to the starting line.

In previous years, there were different human chains for check in, bib checks and then the starting line.

Another difference was the fact that spectators weren’t allowed to see the start in Hopkinton.

Another part of the gig is to clean up the debris, namely masks, that a lot of runners tossed just before running.

“Dave McGillivray was there,” she said. “He’s the start line master. He tells us what to do.”

MVS charter member Lyn Licciardello was technically Minicucci’s boss in Hopkinton, as she was the “Human Chain” Director.

“The Striders are 100 percent of the human chain,” said Minicucci. “I’m really proud to be part of it. Lyn does an incredible job. It’s really a proud day for me.”