HOUSTON – The world's oldest annual marathon will take place in the streets of Boston on Monday. It's an event that's become even more special to runners after the deadly terror attack in 2013.
One of those runners is former KPRC reporter Ryan Korsgard.
He had formed a friendship with Rebekah Gregory, a spectator who lost a leg in the 2013 bombings. This year, Korsgard is running the marathon as part of the Rebekah's Angels team -- a team name for the foundation Gregory started to help children with PTSD. That is only part of Gregory's journey to heal. She is using her story to inspire many other people. Korsgard is one of them.
The bombing of the 2013 Boston Marathon was a story that changed lives. For Gregory, it changed the way she moved. She and her son, then 5-year-old Noah, were injured. Eventually, Gregory made the decision to have her leg amputated and received a prosthetic one.
"This is the hardest thing I think I've ever had to do, and when we got started in the race, the PTSD came back," Gregory told Korsgard in 2015, after she finished the end portion of the 2015 Boston Marathon race with her prosthetic leg, which she has since named, "Forest."
"If I could be someone's hope or inspiration, that's what I want to do for the rest of my life," Gregory told Korsgard.
Korsgard covered that story and could not help but be impacted by it.
"It just told you a lot about Rebekah and who she was," Korsgard said. "And she looked at the camera, there were a lot of them, and said, 'This is the day I'm taking my life back.' "
Korsgard didn't realize he would cover Gregory's story for years. He did not realize then, that he would make a lifelong friend who would inspire him to give back. However, soon enough, they kept in touch, appreciating each other's talents, endurance and genuine friendship.
"We had always had this pact that we would run Boston together," Gregory said. "We became friends through him just doing such incredible jobs on our stories."
And -- KPRC's former reporter got a new title.
"I am a runner! I'm running the Boston Marathon!" Korsgard laughed.
"I called (Ryan) up, and I said, 'Ryan, what do you think about running with Rebekah's Angels?' And he immediately said, 'Yes!'" Gregory said.
Rebekah's Angels is a foundation that Gregory started. She was inspired by her son, who was only 5-years-old when he saw what happened to his mother's leg. Noah, now 11-years-old, Gregory said, is doing much better. His story is a success.
"My son, Noah, is doing just wonderful. He is just rising in every way," Gregory said.
Now, the upcoming race is another chapter in their journey.
"This is the first Rebekah's Angels team in the Boston Marathon, and I hope there will be many more," Gregory said.
"I'm running it, and hopefully we will both run it one day," Korsgard said.
Korsgard is raising money for the foundation.
"Will probably be a blubbering mess that day, and I just want to tell Ryan and our team thank you for coming on this journey with me," Gregory said.
Help Korsgard fundraise: Click link here
Korsgard's Bib number is 28865.
Track Ryan's Run: Click here