Di event tahunan Boston Marathon edisi tahun 2014 ini, seorang jurnalis senior yang meliput untuk lembaga berita The Associated Press, Bill Kole, memutuskan untuk terjun langsung ke lapangan sebagai salah satu pelari. Bill mengenang partisipasinya di event itu dengan menge-tweet setiap kali ia menempuh jarak satu mil.
Tahun 2013 lalu, penduduk Amerika pada umumnya dan Boston pada khususnya dikejutkan oleh serangan bom bunuh diri yang membunuh 3 pelari Boston Marathon dan mencederai kira-kira 246 orang lainnya.
Pengeboman Boston Marathon, 2013. via img3.cache.netease.com
Bill Kole merangkai ‘kultwit’-nya untuk memperingati mereka yang tewas dalam kejadian tersebut, sekaligus menyulut semangat bagi mereka yang selamat dan mengikuti event yang sama tahun ini. Bill merekam segala hal yang ditemuinya sepanjang jalan: dari Sinterklas yang tiba-tiba muncul bulan April, cewek yang memberitahu ayahnya kalau dia hamil dengan menuliskannya di papan, sampai serpihan kayu kecil yang masuk ke kakinya dan membuatnya berkata, “paling tidak saya masih punya kaki. :)”
Mile 1: Huge choruses of “Hell, yeah, we’re back!” from the crowd. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 2: Local dudes offering us beers and cigarettes. Um, I’ll pass, thanks. #26Tweets2Boston — Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 4: Someone just channeled Red Sox slugger David Ortiz: “This is our (expletive) marathon!” #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
(Nggak ada tweet buat Mile 3, karena ternyata sinyal Bill jelek)
Mile 5: Sorry, world; spotty cell coverage so some tweets late. We’re Boston Strong but the network isn’t. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 6: Runner from Michigan: “I’ve prayed for Boston every single day since 4/15/2013. Every single day. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 7: Helicopters are thundering overhead, but runners are gazing resolutely at the long ribbon of asphalt ahead. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 8: Even Santa left the North Pole in his off-season to cheer for us. #26Tweets2Boston pic.twitter.com/AMXEgAcVQn
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 9: “You’re a third done!” Awesome. But two thirds undone; not so much. Onward! #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 10: A consensus emerges: How often do you get to use a pacifist sport like running to poke a terrorist in the eye #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 11: “I am not in danger. I AM the danger.” T-shirt worn by runner Jenny Welch of Los Angeles. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 12: Word reaches us mid-pack runners of a sweet American victory, and a collective cheer goes up. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
(Lagi-lagi, sinyal jelek, dan tweet untuk mile ke-13 dan 15 nggak berhasil kekirim)
Mile 14: Crowds are really thickening up. If I high-fived everyone who offered, I’d finish with a skeleton hand. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 16: Usually my marathon mantra is “run tall, run light, run loose.” Today it’s “run tall, run proud, run strong.” #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 17: Sign of the race: “Dad, I’m pregnant.” And right before the dreaded Newton hills. Dang, dad. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 18: And thar’ she blows: Heartbreak Hill. May the course be with us. (Oh, right, it’s not …) #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 19: Just when I was about to complain about a blister, I passed a man with a carbon fiber blade. There are no words. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
ddd
Mile 20: Crowds so thick and insistent they barely let me stop to tweet. These people ARE truly Boston. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 21: Heartbreak Hill conquered. Five more tough miles to gut out. But the entire city is our cheering section. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 22: #BostonCollege is to beer what #WellesleyCollege is to spirit. True story. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 23: A blister on my toe is bleeding thru my shoe. Hurts but all I can think is how grateful I am to have a foot. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 24: Amusing shout: “Run like you just pooped your pants!” Yikes. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Mile 25: This is where police stopped the race last year. Nothing but a jubilant stream of humanity today. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Finish: Everyone’s screaming on Boylston Street. For all the right reasons. 36,000 sweaty, tearful, exuberant reasons. #26Tweets2Boston
— Bill Kole (@billkole) April 21, 2014
Serial tweet, atau dalam bahasa Indonesia-nya, ‘kultwit’, lebih sering merepotkan daripada memberi kita informasi. Tapi khusus kali ini mungkin kita harus memberi pengecualian. Paling tidak, kultwit Bill Kole ini memberi kita sesuatu yang tak akan bisa kita dapatkan di lain tempat.
