Road to Redemption

By: Tom Fitzgerald

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Synopsis: Toeing the start line of the 1983 Boston Marathon, Cooper McKenzie finds himself in a race to make meaning of his troubled, unimpressive life.Cooper McKenzie is contending with the stark realities of middle-age—he is fully disenchanted with his career, he is struggling to meet the financial needs of his young family, and he has accumulated an unbearable number of &“what ifs&” and even regrets. Amid his mounting anger, the effects of aging manifest into a serious medical diagnosis, and he feels he&’s been handed a death sentence. As Cooper takes inventory of the pivotal moments of his life, things left unfinished, unfortunate outcomes, and a negative sense of self, it&’s clear he is entrenched in a hopeless cycle. Dealt an unbelievable blow, he resolves to rewrite his script of failure even as his own body is failing him. A story of resiliency builds as Cooper makes his way to the start of the Boston Marathon, a distance he has never completed, let alone attempted. His reasons for risking it all to finish are painstakingly clear, but with such high stakes, finishing could mean the end. The Road to Redemption captures a personal journey that is altogether universal. We must traverse our own lived experience, particularly those moments of vulnerability and shame, to reach the end goal of knowing the truth of what we can do and who we are.