Rubin's Boston Debut

Hey everyone!

First year that I have qualified for Boston and I am so stoked to be lacing up with the other 32,000 runners. However, this racing season I have the great privilege of teaming up with Depression2Extinction (D2E), a non-profit that targets eradication of depression and anxiety.

For those of you who don’t know, for so many years while growing up, I fell prey to this disorder. And with no one knowing, I had to endure it on my own for the most part. Pain. Shame. Internal torment. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to go through, to conquer. The brain is a powerful organ, and to change the way I thought was a feat that I still have to overcome somedays.

Trail runs, the pounding of my feet on the pavement, my mind found freedom in the open air during runs. I found ultra. I found Ironman. Endurance training and racing has brought an outlet for energy, but more than that, it has acted as a defense system; a way to counteract the negative. Because that’s what anxiety is: a negative way of thinking. And with all the healthy positive that comes from endurance, the old ways of growing up don’t have a fighting chance to resurface.

So come on and give it forward. Help be a positive force for those who do struggle. My soul sits by the many who do struggle, knowing what a war it is to defeat.

Instead of focusing on racing this marathon, I will be simply running it and making friends; rejuvenating the love I have for the sport.

Cheers my friends,

Alex