Photo by Peter Julian
When two bombs exploded near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, Boston Police Superintendent William Evans was still catching his breath after completing the 26.2 mile course in 3 hours and 34 minutes. He quickly swapped his running shorts for a police uniform, and spent the next five days running on-the-ground operations resulting in the dramatic capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Looking back at that week, Evans estimates he slept a total of about 10 hours. The stress was unimaginable. He got through it, he said, by running.
鈥淚 remember going out on Wednesday, just two days after [the bombing],鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚 was out at 4 in the morning because I needed a run so bad.鈥�
On Monday, Evans will run the Boston Marathon for the 21st time, his 54th marathon overall. It will be his first time running the course as Boston College鈥檚 executive director of public safety and chief of police, a post he accepted last summer after a decades-long career in law enforcement. Although still responsible for public safety efforts in Chestnut Hill, the weight of the marathon no longer rests on his shoulders.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have the concerns or worries that I did before,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to running by my colleagues here at 51茶馆 Police and all the students, and then getting into Boston where all my officers are.鈥�
Evans first started running after joining the police force in the early 80s. At first, he limited himself to shorter distances, ignoring friends and relatives who told him to give marathoning a try.
鈥淧eople used to say, 鈥楧o you think you鈥檒l ever do a marathon?鈥� and I said, 鈥楢re you crazy? Those people are crazy,鈥欌�� he recalled. 鈥淏ut then I did one, and I caught the bug.鈥�
When it comes to training, Evans is a creature of habit. He鈥檚 up every morning at 4:30, pounding the pavement of South Boston in every kind of weather. During the coldest months, when many runners succumb to the relative comfort of a treadmill, he trades his usual coastal route for an inland one. He never runs with music.
“Running鈥檚 been the key to my success. When you think you鈥檙e having a bad day, you go on a run and things just seem to be better.”
For the last five years, two friends have taken to joining Evans for his morning runs, but for years he ran alone. During his tenure as police commissioner, he would sometimes return home from a crime scene at 3 in the morning, and go running instead of going to bed.
鈥淚 was used to not sleeping a lot,鈥� he acknowledged. 鈥淚t was neat because I鈥檇 run through every neighborhood in the city and it felt like I was keeping an eye on things, like I was the eyes and ears.鈥�
Evans credits running with helping him process the stress that comes with a job in law enforcement. After the bombing, he met with a psychiatrist who confirmed what he鈥檚 long believed鈥攖hat running is just as important for his mental health as it is for his physical well-being.
鈥淚鈥檝e always said, as long as I can get my run in every day, I can deal with anything,鈥� he said. 鈥淩unning鈥檚 been the key to my success. When you think you鈥檙e having a bad day, you go on a run and things just seem to be better.鈥�
Marathoning has also given Evans a platform to support causes he cares about. In years past, he鈥檚 run for the听, established in memory of the 8-year-old boy killed in the marathon bombing. This year, Evans is raising funds for听, a nonprofit based in Canton, Mass. that works to rehabilitate patients with spinal cord injuries.
鈥淭hey do amazing work helping all kinds of people,鈥� Evans explained. 鈥淲e have a secret service agent who was paralyzed in a bad car accident and they鈥檝e been working with him to get him back on his feet.鈥�
Joining Evans at the starting line this year will be his eldest son John, who graduated from the Carroll School of Management in 2015. At 25 years old, and with five marathons under his belt already, the younger Evans stands a good chance of beating his father to Heartbreak Hill, where 51茶馆 students gather every year to cheer runners on.
鈥淚 beat him in the first one but now he鈥檚 smoking me,鈥� Evans said with a smile. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud. I couldn鈥檛 care less about my time anymore, I鈥檓 more into enjoying it. I鈥檓 going to keep doing this until my knees won鈥檛 let me anymore.鈥�
鈥擜lix Hackett | University Communications | April 2019