Most Americans will say that the biggest day in sports is the Super Bowl. Or, Opening Day. Maybe even the final round of the Master’s.

To me, though, the greatest display of athletic competition comes in April, on Patriots Day, or as we runners call it, Marathon Monday. 

In long distance running, the Boston Marathon is the most celebrated and anticipated race of the year. Sure, there is New York and London, but the history of the marathon is embedded in Boston. It’s the world’s oldest marathon, and it attracts nearly 30,000 runners and 500,000 spectators annually. Even if they have not raced it themselves, most runners know about Boston. They know about the bus to Hopkinton and the finish on Bolyston Street. They’ve heard tales from the Scream Tunnel and Heartbreak Hill. After the tragic events in 2013, the Boston Marathon also represents reliance, with survivors and loved ones of those lost, taking on the race and reclaiming their strength. And, wins from Des and Meb have inspired us all to keep showing up. It’s the year’s biggest day in running.

It’s a dream come true to run the Boston Marathon, but for the majority of runners, that dream stays in the air. Because of the event’s prestige and popularity, the Boston Marathon imposes fairly fast qualifying times. For a male between the ages of 18-34, one must race under 3:00. For women, that time is 3:30. Those times are often lowering as more and more people are able to meet the standards, but even if you do make the time, entry is not guaranteed. There is fewer spots than qualifiers, so they take the fastest times and apologize to everyone else.

This year, I will turn 35, which means I jump to a new age division. My qualifying time for the next four years is 3:35. The last marathon I ran was 4:50. While, I expect to shave a good chunk of time off in a fall marathon, it will likely not be 75 minutes. I probably won’t even come close to breaking four hours.

Yes, I want to run Boston. I want to feel every grueling step of that remarkable race. I want to cross that blue finish live. I want to buy blue and yellow swag that I can wear while running Chicago’s Lakefront path so others know that I am one of those, a Boston runner.

The truth is, though, that I will likely never make it to Boston. Even if I get faster and am able to continue running for the next few decades, it will likely be something I can’t accomplish. That’s not just the runner that I am. This does make me sad, but it’s something I’ve come to accept.

Just because I or other runners like me won’t likely be fast enough to run Boston doesn’t mean that we can’t have other racing goals. We can still do incredible things with our bodies and make our own running history. Maybe we decided to run a marathon in each state or join Marathon Maniacs. Or, we create our own marathon course or make up a “Bucket Race List” and start knocking them off.

The Boston Marathon is a metric for many runners, but it is not a definitive. Being able to run the race doesn’t mean you are more or less of a runner. It’s just simply a cool event that happens each year, and if you can make it, great. If you can’t, you can still be a badass runner and enjoy the event for what it is. 

Running Boston may be your goal, and I’m sure you will put the work and determination in to make it there, but it’s OK if it’s not your goal. It is the biggest race in running, but it may not be the best and it is definitely not the only. Running is steeped in tradition, but it’s made up of perseverance. Set your own goal, find out what you are made of, and you’ll be a runner.

Also, never say never.