Now I enjoy going to the race with my teammates on the Gate City Striders. I look forward to seeing my wife and children as I run up Heartbreak Hill. Last year two of my students were brought by their parents to see me run Boston. It was wonderful hearing a cheer in the last miles of the race and looking back to see their faces. They now participate in the PAL cross country races in Nashua. One just finished a 5k race in Nashua last week.

Running Boston takes me back to the time in my childhood when I first heard of the race. It reminds me of all the years of running that I have done and of the times that I have either watched or participated in the race. It reminds me of my struggle to achieve a qualifying time so that I could reach my goal. Boston has been flowing through my veins for years and having the ability to continue to run it is not a gift that I want to overlook or give up.

I don't really mention the other marathons I run to my students. It is difficult for them to get a real grasp of what a marathon truly is. However, when Boston rolls around I am able to plan lessons around the race because it is such a visible event here in New England. I have activities and games that I do with them that help them get a grasp of the concept of running such a distance. We learn about the great athletes and the countries from which they come from. It is a favorite time of the year for me because I am able to share so much and the kids respond well. Even if I am running and a substitute teacher is in the room. I ask the sub to turn on the TV at 12:00 so the class can watch the start of the race. After they have lunch, recess and lessons, they turn on the TV at 2:00 so that they can watch the finish of the men's and woman's races. Previously I had given each student a top runner to "be" for the day. I tell them the history of their runner and what country they run for, whether they have won another marathons, finished well at Boston before, won the Olympics, or even if their name is a palindrome (Anuta Catuna). With many ESL students in my school it is fun to match up students with top runners from their home country whenever possible.

As the race ends they are cheering and involved with the race. We check out the results the next day and I give out prizes (my race number, the silver metallic finisher's blanket, autographs and posters of top runners) to the winners. I also have them predict the winning times for the top male and female runners and give out prizes for the best estimates. There is usually someone who estimates the times within 10-15 seconds of the actual winning time.

I tie in science and math activities with the race. We also study our town's history and the children know about the former cotton mills in Nashua and the people who worked in them. They are fascinated to hear about the Boston Marathon champion, Henri Renaud, who was a mill worker in Nashua and won one of the hottest Boston's ever despite and probably because he was used to the hard work and hot conditions of the mills in which he labored.

KR We understand that you were refused a personal day because personal days are not allowed for 'recreation'. Do you consider running the Boston Marathon recreation (is running 26.2 miles easy for you)?
Mr. Hansen: If I am well trained, I am one of the few who can really enjoy the act of running 26 miles. I have run almost 40 marathons, five of them at the end of Ironman length triathlons. I am not afraid of the distance although I certainly respect it and have been humbled quite a few times.

In the fall, after a summer of training, I will run a number of races including marathons and enjoy them all. Two years ago, I competed in 3 marathons and a 1/2 marathon in a span of 5 weeks and all 3 marathons were completed in just about the same amount of time (under 3 hours and 5 minutes). I can recover quite quickly from a marathon, but then again, maybe I am not running as fast as I should.

Boston, however, has never been easy. The last few miles always hurt. Some marathons are very recreational. I like the ebb and flow of a race. Some courses like Clarence DeMar in New Hampshire and the Cape Cod Marathon in Falmouth are beautiful, and on a crisp fall day the run can be very relaxing. When school and all the hustle of a busy life gets very taxing during the fall months, running a marathon can be a welcome break from a busy week.

KR What do you do beyond your classroom duties, for your school system?
Mr. Hansen: I am quite active in my school and in my district. I represent my school on the district's technology committee as well as on the superintendent's cabinet. I have also served on the district's math committee. I am presently teaching a twice-a-week after school math games program for fifth graders in my school. I have helped lead an innovative ESL Summer School program for quite a few years now for the ESL students in Nashua.

In previous years I have led workshops in my district, taught after school gifted and talented programs, when they existed and have served on many school committees for my school.

I have designed a web page this year for the third grade teachers in my district so that we can share web-links and ideas that tie in with the curriculum. I also have developed web page for my class.

KR What do you try to inspire in your kids?
Mr. Hansen: When I was in high school, I read an interview with Frank Shorter where Frank said this, "To me, the idea is not to beat someone, but merely to live up to your potential. If you do you then you will end up winning a lot."

I like that philosophy and had it printed next to my picture in the yearbook when I graduated. I think that one of the joys of my job is to help children understand that they should try their hardest to do the best that they can in whatever they are doing. I have always loved reading stories where people have overcome challenges or great odds to accomplish their goals. They are motivational to me. I would hope that I instill in my students the belief that they are capable of great things and that they should never give up their dreams, but I want them to know that it often takes work and struggle to realize their dreams. It is through the struggle and work that they can feel great pride in their accomplishments.

I see many kids these days who are just drifting along. They don't have goals. They don't have direction and they already seem so tired of their lives. I also see many children who have a wonderful thirst for accomplishment and an enthusiastic determination to succeed. They love challenges and have set for themselves goals that they are already actively pursuing. My desire is to encourage all kids to never give up, to never feel battered down, and to be people who are achievers to the best of their abilities. I would hope that my students feel encouraged to either continue on in the pursuits that they already have. I try to introduce them to new ideas and challenges, and to let them know that they are capable of achieving many things that they don't even know about yet.

KR What kind of people do you want your kids to grow up to be?
Mr. Hansen: I want my students to become happy fulfilled learners and people of good character. I think that they need to have a continuous sense of wonder and excitement about the world around them. I love teaching because I can continue to learn new things along with my class. I believe that if they have strong values and respect for others as well as themselves then they can pursue and achieve their goals and dreams and I certainly hope that they have the vision, wisdom, and guidance to pursue noble and wonderful goals.

I am saddened to think that the powers to be in my school district seem to have forgotten the lessons that my class could learn when they can see their teacher run the Boston Marathon. I will not allow them to take away this small opportunity to be a motivational force in my student's lives.

That is why I will run the race after teaching a day in school on Marathon Monday. I am deeply concerned about the current philosophy in education, where giving tests and evaluating students as if they were a product and not a person is a current practice. Personal achievement doesn't seem to matter much anymore and many young kids are made to feel that they don't measure up according to the numbers on the test results. I worry that they may just give up because they are not good enough when they look at their results. I would hope that administrators can look beyond the numbers and realize that the teachers are working hard to get these kids interested and exctited about learning and giving them the tools and knowledge to achieve the heights of their abiliities. It is through the active and personal involvement in the students' lives that we can get them hooked on the learning process and it is also through our example and excitement about learning and life that they can develop the same attitude.

I don't hear much any more about the joy of teaching and certainly not much about the joy of learning. I think that is what happened here in Nashua. No longer are the many benefits of my Boston Marathon participation seen as a powerful learning and motivational experience.

The PTO at my school sent a letter to the Superintendent concerning his decision to deny me a personal day to run Boston. I quote what they wrote, "...For many years, Mr. Hansen has inspired his students to embrace academics and strive to achieve in the classroom. This year, his participation in the Marathon would show all Mt. Pleasant students that one does not have to be a professional athlete to achieve the level of excellence required to participate in a world class event. Mr. Hansen's determination, perseverance and personal discipline serve as examples that cannot be taught by conventional means in the classroom. Because the students know Mr. Hansen as a school teacher (to many, their teacher or former teacher), their perception of his participation in the marathon would personalize the achievement and hopefully inspire many students to believe in the attainment and conquest of their own dreams..."

KR What do your schoolchildren give back to you?
Mr. Hansen: After running the 100th Boston, one of my students wrote a letter to the editor of the Nashua newspaper. He announced to the community that my running in the race taught him that you don't have to come in first place to be a winner. He said that he learned that he would always try his best in whatever he did. He basically echoed the words of the Frank Shorter quote that I so very much like. That let me know that I was right on the mark and it was one of the most surprising gifts that I have ever received from a student.

A couple of years ago I ran into two of my former fourth grade students on the track while I was running a workout. After reintroducing ourselves, they told me that they were preparing for the high school track season and were going to be runners just like me. Like most of my former students do, they asked if I was still running the Boston Marathon. One of the boys had been an angry and sullen boy in my class due to his family problems. He was also quite a gifted artist. I told him that every year I show my class the poem and pictures that he created based on the poem "Jabberwocky." That misted up his eyes. Then he asked me if there were still 'bad' kids like him in the school that liked to cause problems in class. I told him that every year has its struggles but he wasn't bad and that it looked like he turned out quite fine. Then he looked at me and said, "Well, I am sorry for how I behaved." I don't know what part I played in the successes that he now enjoys, but his "I am sorry," was another of the great gifts given to me by a student. I would like to think that his year in my class was somewhat instrumental in his future positive development. I love finding out about the successes of former students. Sometimes I am quite surprised to see how well they turn out. As a teacher your hope is that the year in they spend in your class has positive implications as they continue growing and developing. You just pray that you can make a difference. I am also looking forward to the day when former students start beating me in races.