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Sep 20, 2024

Boston Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.6

Organization 4.6

Spectators 4.9

Number of comments: 418 [displaying comments 151 to 161]

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J. R. from Decatur, GA. (4/22/2009) "Wow!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 "Wow" is all I can say. This was my first Boston... incredible! Other big races should really take a lesson from them and their organization; this was the best I have ever seen. Even though I had to get to the starting line early, it was well worth it. I had a PR by 24 seconds (too bad for Heartbreak Hill... I would have shattered it otherwise). Hats off to all the organizers, volunteers and fans... that was the best!
J. V. from New York (4/22/2009) "DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Boston Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 35th Marathon, 4th Boston Top Ten Reasons to run Boston 1. It's Elite. You've qualified. You've arrived! 2. It's tough, but doable and rewarding 3. The crowds are the best - every step of the way 4. Boston is such a major college town. Kids are partying all along the course and are so into it... their enthusiasm, energy and spirit just runs through your veins 5. Wellesley... I just kept blowing kisses 6. BC: They where simply the best sooo fun. So invigorating! 7. Organization is first-rate; it just surpasses all of the rest 8. The expo has gotten so much better since it was moved back into The Hynes Center. It's so fun, with so many varied vendors and lots of giveaways. Bill Rodgers (the nicest guy), Frank Shorter and Ryan Hall all graciously signed my number. 9. The merchandise: Adidas does a great job! 10. BOSTON is such a great city. Try to go to The JFK Library; it's well worth it Suggestions: 1. A pasta party; eating outside on a cold, windy night was bad idea 2. Adidas has to do something about those lines for the merchandise... they were ridiculous 3. They need even more porta-potties. That's the only way to avoid people in the woods, especially after that long ride
A. C. from Cincinnati, OH USA (4/21/2009) "Amazing, bucket list-experience!" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Boston Marathon is the pinnacle race of our sport. I trained on hills, and running uphill is no big deal. The tough thing about Boston is the downhill. I was warned, and I tried to hold back, but your quads are shot by mile 16 and then you climb. The "Newton Hills" are actually a blessed relief from the down! Good luck to anyone who tries!
K. S. from San Francisco (4/21/2009) "Boston Marathon at 25 weeks pregnant" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am just shy of 25 weeks pregnant today and ran the Boston marathon yesterday. This was my 30th marathon and my 6th time running Boston. My husband was very nervous about my running the race and I promised him to take it super easy. As he qualified for Boston too (for the first time), we planned to run together and agreed that he would hold me back whenever he felt I was going too fast. We also agreed to try the run/walk method to ensure I was not getting too exhausted. My SI joint has been really bothering me the last week, especially when running downhill - an old injury that seems to have flared up again due to pregnancy muscle relaxing. I was not very confident in my ability to finish the race, as I felt I hadn't trained enough and my back hurt a lot on the plane over to Boston from San Francisco. My longest training runs were 20-milers this time and I usually do several 24-26 milers before a marathon. I made a race shirt with my name on it, plus the words "Baby on Board - 6 Months." Bill Rodgers, the famous 4-time Boston marathon winner from the 70s, signed the shirt for me with the words "Kathi + Tom + Baby - Run Forever! Bill Rodgers." It was really cool and will be a great souvenir to show our little girl. The weather in Hopkinton was pretty cold in the morning when we were waiting in the athlete's village - high 30s which is chilly for a spoiled San Franciscan like me. I had the first experience of the incredible support for an obviously pregnant woman running the marathon in the athlete's, village where I really needed to go to the bathroom before the race and the lines were so long that we were afraid we wouldn't make our start. I approached a military guy who was watching out for people trying to go into the woods behind the athlete's village, hoping he would make an exception for me. He was incredibly kind to me and let me to an actual bathroom in the trailer he and his crew were occupying, telling me how impressed he was I was doing this. Wow, I had no idea people would be so supportive of pregnant runners! We started out with Wave 1 at around 10:10. My husband and I stuck together and just enjoyed the run, having so many people cheer for us. The support I got from the crowd was incredible - they went wild as soon as they realized I am pregnant. I heard so many, "Oh my god, she's pregnant" and "Good for you" and lots of cheering and yelling my name. The first half of Boston is a lot of downhills so the SI joint felt pretty bad, but running with all the support was still great. Tom was holding me back and got a lot of laughs when he yelled, "Wait for daddy." I felt rather hot for the first 7 miles so I took my shirt off and raced in my sports bra, which of course made the belly more obvious, but I really missed having my name screamed in support. so I ended up putting the shirt back on. We were really good about the walking breaks we had planned to take after about 10 minutes of running, 1 minute of walking. We strategically positioned them in the uphill portions of the course. I preferred the ongoing running, but Tom wouldn't let me. By the half marathon, I knew we would make it to the finish line and that got me really excited. We did run Heartbreak Hill though - you just have to! And the support there was just amazing. I knew I needed to keep hydrated, so I took water or sometimes a combination of Gatorade and water at every single water station. I didn't feel hungry throughout the race so the only thing I ate was one Vanilla GU that was given out later in the race. With all of that water and the added pressure baby puts on the bladder, we took three bathroom stops on the way and we didn't really rush through them. We just took our time. These stops were close to the paramedics and they were also really supportive, asking if I needed anything and if I was okay. I got so many thumbs up and cheers from fellow runners too. One guy turned out to be a doctor, and told me I looked great running a relaxed pace, being able to hold an easy conversation and that there was nothing to worry about. This helped a lot too. Towards the end, we slowed it down more and extended our walk breaks. Tom insisted that I not run all of the hills, and I was good to keep my word to him. Once we hit Boston, I couldn't take any walk breaks once - the crowds were so strong and it was so exciting to run! I finished in 4:29 - 28 minute slower than my slowest marathon ever. Throughout the entire race, my heart rate never went over 150 bpm, with most of the run being in the 130s. It felt so easy and was such a blast. At no point during the race did I feel exhausted or compromised in any way. Baby girl was moving around a lot now on the plane home to San Francisco which we had to take immediately after the race, so I know she is okay. I also have a check up on Friday where we'll confirm. What an experience and what a great story to tell our little girl!
L. S. from Kansas City (4/21/2009) "A great reward" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I don't like large marathons, but I loved Boston. It took me 3 years of hard training and a new age group time to finally qualify. The tradition of the race is unmatched. The course is legendary, and the fans are the best I have ever encountered. There were things I could complain about, but why complain when you realize a dream?
F. E. from Oakland, CA (4/21/2009) "Boston is the best" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Boston remains my favorite marathon. Even in poor weather, the race is tops - the volunteers, the spectators, the organization, you name it. It is all there. Boston is king.
P. A. from Madison, Wisconsin (4/21/2009) "The Mecca of Marathons" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Baseball has the World Series, football has the Super Bowl and running has the Boston Marathon. If you can qualify for this race, you must run. They have been running Boston for 113 years and fewer than 500,000 athletes have ever finished it. I'm a 50-year-old average runner who had a career day last fall and qualified by mere seconds. Running Boston was without a doubt the best running experience of my life. The Wellesley girls were great and the B.C. students were awesome. The hills were killer and the run up Boylston was absolutely amazing. We were blessed by Bill Rodgers appearance for the first time in 13 years and many of us average marathoners even ran with him for a few minutes. How amazing is that. Best of all, the wonderful people of Boston roll out the red carpet for us runners. They are so nice and accommodating that it makes you feel almost as special as the event itself. If I never get back to Boston, I live with the knowledge that I've been to Mecca and I got my unicorn!
M. W. from Washington State (3/23/2009) "Best Marathon" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Boston is the best marathon that I have run. I would have run this every year, had I lived in Massachusetts. This was my second time at Boston. About a year before I was approaching my big birthday, I decided that nothing would be better than running the Boston Marathon to celebrate this milestone in life. In order to do that, I had to qualify for Boston again. After a three-year break, I started the training in 2007. All went smoothly, and I was all in position to PR at Chicago. It turned out that all the planning and training were easily broken when the temperature rose above 75F. And who would had predicted that Chicago would have its worst race ever and would even be halted? I did finish Chicago about 15-20 minutes slower than I was trained for. Since I could not control the weather or the race organization, I decided to relax towards the training for Boston. My plan was just go to Boston for the beginning of my hexagenarian years to celebrate my big day and year. It would be the greatest joy just to finish! Besides, there were injuries, illness and traveling that prevented me from fantasizing PR at Boston. The expo at the Hynes Convention Center, near the finish line, was easily accessible. There were lots of vendors, the latest running gears, samples and fitness speeches. The crowd was much bigger than the '04 expo at the World Trade Center. The Athlete Alert was new for tracking the athletes during the race. It probably also used to track the athletes' ID before the race. That seems to make sense, as the race became increasingly popular that many bonafide Boston qualifiers were kept out due to the yearly cap. The scrutiny over the marathon qualification and verification of the runners would help to manage the race size. The try-on part of the marathon shirt was great. A huge improvement from last time. The '04 SMALL shirt I got was 3-4 sizes too big so that it was never worn. I was elated that the handsome 2008 official small tech shirt in bright blue fit so well. There was plenty of merchandise to choose from and the prices were either at or somewhat better than average. It was a great expo. To add more glory to the 112th Boston Marathon, there was also the Women's Olympic Marathon Trial. It started at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. The course consisted of one city loop that covered Boston Commons, State House and 4 loops from Boyston St., Commonwealth Avenue, Mass Ave., Harvard Bridge and to Memorial Drive through downtown. Very convenient for the spectators. There, Deena Kastor, Kate O'Neil, Magdalena Lowy-Boulet and Blake Russell and all the fastest and the best of US women athletes were there. Many of them wore elbow and shin sleeves. The event was inspirational and greatly pumped up the spirits for Monday racers. I was most impressed by Joan Benoit Samuelson, who held the US record until Deena Kastor's time. She set another US record in 2:49:08 at the Trial for the 50 year-olds. The Boston had the top-notch race organizers. They set the entry at a manageable limit of 25,000 as opposed to '07 Chicago that took in 45,000 registrants. The starting times at Boston were staggered for runners basically numbered by their last BQ times. There was no crowding problem, and passing posed no danger to self or nearby runners. The bus ride from Boston Commons was smooth, except the stopping at midway for an hour or more. Many athletes had to take a leak and got joked about. This helped to relax the tense pre-race mood. By the time we arrived at Hopkinton, we did not have to wait long before were called to line up in the assigned corrals. There was a slight rush to go to the corrals. I would not be surprised if later bus riders would have gotten delayed by the bus stopping. No mention of number of the fluid replacement stations in the pamphlet, but there was almost one every mile. There might be more, since the residents along the course came out cheering, some with water, juice, water stands, or more. The day was hot enough that most runners poured water over their heads to cool off. Even for the second wave, there was plenty of water, Gatorade and energy gel to go around. Two guys were wearing t-shirts that read, "I WAS HIS COACH." They were in my vicinity and became my pacers for a while. They must have been Ryan Hall's coaches. I passed them before the water stations and they passed me around the water stations. Here in Boston you could get the race pacers of your choice. The spectators were spectacular! In addition the average folks, and the unbelievably passionate young men and women of Boston College and Wellesley, there were many, many youngsters some even as little 4-7 years-old on the roadside cheering you on, giving you high-fives and water. Wow! I lost the coaches after about 20 miles. I began to run faster whenever there was a downhill, and there were plenty of them. There were so many enthusiastic spectators, especially so far into the city. The young people from Boston College were cheering with all of their might. The mental encouragement was electrifying; I could even sprint sometimes. I was tired and exhausted, but the magical energy from the crowd was contagious, and it carried me to the finish line with a PR of 3:57, almost 9.5 minutes faster than four years ago. This is one marathon at which athletes seem to push themselves very hard. Both times, I've witnessed runners getting or screaming on all fours at the finish line - more so than at other races. Even so, it that just made the experience more memorable. Boston is a great race, worth every effort to strive for at any age!
R. D. from Las Vegas, NV. (1/24/2009) "Worth the Hype!!" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you qualify for this race, you have to do it. I know many run it for fun, but you can still run it competitively and enjoy the experience. The crowd was awesome; from 20 miles on, the course was 6-7 deep full of spectators. Wellesley is cool, and Boston College deserves major accolades. The early miles had tons of spectators, and I love the biker bar and small rural communities. Organization is very good; the only drawback is unpredictable weather/late start. It's expensive if your from out of town but the whole city is hyped up for the race. Amazing how many Boston Marathon jackets you see people wearing the days before and after the event. Nice tech finisher shirt/medal, and the best results booklet I have received from any marathon.
D. O. from Normal, IL (1/17/2009) "It's Worth It" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I echo anything positive everyone has said previously. It is an amazing event in a great city. It's worth the committment it takes to get there. Course? You run in the footsteps of the legends who have run it before. It's a historical route. The hills of Newton really weren't that bad even though they do come later in the race. If you haven't controlled your excitement and started out too fast, the hills will get you. Otherwise, they're doable. I will say that there was a lot more downhill running in this race than I expected. Really beats up the quads. Organization? As someone said, "They've been doing it for 112 years. Hopefully, they have it figured out by now." Believe me, they have it figured out. The packet pickup was unbelievably quick. Couldn't believe it. Going through the expo, however, was pretty slow and crowded. You have to expect that, however, especially considering that every industry vendor, it seems, is there. Fans? The best, period. The students at BC especially blew me away. And that last mile before the finish?? Wow!! I will never be an elite runner, but for 3 1/2 hours I sure felt like one. In fact, the whole weekend was great. Boston really welcomes the runners. A cynic may say that it's because it can be a pricey trip. I did my part to support the local economy! Doesn't matter because it's worth it. Glad to have finally made it there and look forward to running it again in 2009.

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