Injured Hopkinton Administrator Goes The Distance In Boston Marathon

HOPKINTON, MA - For Chris Ocampo, the Boston Marathon was about more than just a race on Monday.

The assistant middle school principal of Hopkinton Middle School didn't want to let down his students or the Hopkinton Freedom Team, the group that he ran to support because of its work toward diversity and inclusion.

Ocampo's determination served him well, as he persevered to finish the race in about six hours despite a knee injury and a malfunction in his marathon bib that failed to record his race time after he visited the medical tent.

"I always say that the marathon is not the actual race," he said in an interview with Patch on Wednesday. "It's actually the journey that leads up to it, that is the what the actual marathon is."

The Framingham resident kept a rigorous workout schedule to train for his second marathon after running for the first time in 2019. During that race, he also was battling a knee injury that led him to complete the course in about seven hours and 23 minutes.

Ocampo said he only slept for a few hours before the big event "just because of all of the butterflies in my stomach." He met colleagues Katharine Brummett and Stacey Place at Hopkinton Middle School before heading to the starting line, enjoying music and encouragement as they stretched. Members of the Hopkinton Freedom Team also encouraged him beforehand.

"We were really able to connect and hype each other up and bounce ideas off of each other," he said.

The support Ocampo received helped propel him forward. At the second mile, former colleagues at TJ's Food and Spirits in Ashland cheered him on. Students also rallied for him on the sidelines in Hopkinton. His family greeted at him at the seventh mile with an "Uncle Chris" sign decorated by his two young nieces.

What meant the most to him during this run, he said, were the moments where he bonded with other runners and how they motivated each other when they doubted they could stay the course.

By the ninth mile, Ocampo said his "left leg was cramping really bad," particularly his calves and hamstrings, calling it "the worst pain ever." Two miles later, his right knee, which had plagued him during his previous marathon, caused him to go to the medical tent.

"They said to me that, if we tend to you, you pretty much have to bow out of the race," he explained. "When they said that, I told them I was okay and continued on."

Sometime after the medical tent visit, the bib device stopped recording his marathon time, according to Ocampo.

Ocampo said he felt that, despite his pain, he had to persevere because he was determined to raise money for the Hopkinton Freedom Team, of which he is a member. The group had been striving for the inclusivity of people of all backgrounds and races and has held upstander trainings to teach people how to constructively call out acts of discrimination and bullying.

"I felt like calling some of the Freedom Team members for inspiration during the race," he said. "I couldn't let them down because I was representing them."

He began walking and jogging to get back into a rhythm when he met a woman named Kat, who he said "was also struggling" in her first marathon.

"I saw myself in her when I ran my first marathon in 2019," Ocampo said. "So I stuck around with her. I learned about her life and where she worked, and she asked questions about me.

"It was pretty miraculous," he continued. "I think you grow pretty close pretty quickly."

As time went on, the duo kept each other mentally engaged as their physical strength waned. They talked about everything from movies to their favorite colors so they would not focus on their individual pain.

"Our legs were not doing well," Ocampo said. "But our minds were still intact, and that was what we were trying to hold onto."

As they reached the top of Heartbreak Hill, they realized that the most difficult part of the journey was over. When they hit Boston, he asked if she would be okay if he finished without her. She said she would have quit without his support.

Ocampo focused on the cheers of the Boston faithful as he approached the finish line, where his brother and college friends awaited him.

"My brother asked me, 'What do you need?' he recalled. "And I said, 'The only thing that I want is a cheeseburger and fries."

As he reflected on his run, he said the best part of the experience was what he learned about himself.

"There were so many times when I wanted to quit," Ocampo said. "I had my name on my arm, so when I heard someone say, 'You got this, Chris,' the crowd helped to bolster my mental challenges and propel me forward."

Ocampo finished the race to show his students that determination pays off.

"I hope that they see that if you start a goal and finish it, no matter how you get there, there is a way to get there," he noted. "Whether it takes two hours or six hours. I would love for them to see this and say that they can do great things, and I hope I can inspire them to achieve."

He also hoped his journey would make strides in promoting diversity.

"I also thought about people who look like me who think that they can't do a certain thing," he explained. "I want to put it out there that you can do it - as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work in."

The next step for Ocampo is participating in performances in "Project Empathy," which will be held at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts on April 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here. The fee is based on what one is able to pay.

"It's all about putting yourself in another person's shoes," he said.