"What Was I thinking? We're All Going to Drown"
By Chris Lotsbom
Call it fate, destiny or right-place, right-time. Katie Kellner is thankful she was late getting out the door on September 24, 2019. For on that warm fall day, the 28-year-old runner saved a man from drowning.
Kellner, a member of the Boston Athletic Association racing team who will be competing in her second U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon, almost didn’t train at all that day, but a text from her college coach motivated her to finally get going. Three miles into an easy run around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, a running hot spot adjacent to Boston College, Kellner noticed a golden retriever head into the water to chase a swan.
The pup ventured deeper and deeper, prompting the dog’s walker to follow. Soon, stranded and struggling, the man began screaming for help.
Kellner sprang into action, ditching her shoes and scrambling down the embankment into the water. The next 10 minutes would make Kellner a hero.
“They both started bobbing up and down,” Kellner recalled, perhaps 200 yards away. Upon reaching them, both the man and dog latched onto her shoulders, frightened and desperate for help. “There was definitely this moment of Oh my gosh, what was I thinking? We’re all going to drown.”
Kellner decided to focus on the man first, swimming him back toward shore. The dog soon followed. Relying on past EMT training, Kellner kept the man calm until emergency personnel arrived and transported him to a local hospital.
“Katie’s efforts were heroic, no doubt,” said William Evans, Boston College executive director of public safety and former Boston police chief who is himself a marathoner. “She witnessed a man struggling in the water with his dog and, without hesitation, dove into the water and rescued him. She clearly saved his life … Our police officers on site were so impressed by her selfless action, and the fact she seemed to have not lost a breath due to her athletic ability.”
Kellner never thought twice about jumping in, despite not knowing how deep the water was. “It’s amazing how your body can respond when you have that adrenaline,” she said.
In the months since the rescue, Kellner has been recognized both locally and nationally. She drew a standing ovation at a Boston Celtics game, receiving the team’s Heroes Among Us award. Kellner was also recognized on the field at Boston College’s Red Bandana football game, an honor that held poignant significance because the game was in memory of Welles Crowther, a BC graduate who died saving lives on 9/11. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) gave Kellner its Compassionate Action Award, and at the end of 2019 selected her as one of the Top Animal Rescuers of the Year.
Kellner said the experience was life-changing, giving her more confidence and courage, and that she’s used it in her Olympic Trials prep. “It’s something that has crossed my mind [during workouts] and has made me realize that I might be stronger than I think I am.”
In Atlanta, Kellner hopes to improve on her 28th-place finish from 2016. She can count on three supporters back in Boston who will be wishing her well: the man she saved (who has shied away from publicity), the golden retriever and the dog’s owner. Since the rescue, Kellner has kept in touch and will occasionally see them while running around the reservoir. They always say hi.
“It’s kind of cool that a little friendship came out of it all,” said Kellner.
Photos: Courtesy of the Boston Athletic Association and Katie Kellner