Priests put off Boston Marathon for year; race too close to Easter

Published: 2006-04-10

DETROIT (CNS) -- Fathers Richard Cassidy and Michael Byrnes, both Detroit priests, got a special kind of "runner's high" when they found out they had qualified for this year's Boston Marathon -- the pinnacle for serious runners. Unfortunately, the feeling was short-lived. When they looked at the calendar and realized the date of the event -- April 17 -- was the day after Easter, they knew they could not let the "hoopla and celebration" of the Boston Marathon get in the way of the holy day, Father Cassidy said. "Both of us knew right away we had to forgo it," he said. "In conscience, we could not have it take over Easter." They contacted the Boston Athletic Association, which sponsors the race, and deferred their qualifying time to the 2007 race. Next year, Easter is April 8, and the race will be April 16. Marc Chalufour, the association's communications manager, said deferral is something his organization does fairly frequently. There are always people who become ill or get injured during training, he said.

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