With less than 2 weeks to go before the big day, the reality that I’m actually going to be doing the Boston marathon is finally starting to sink in and I’m starting to get jazzed about it.
I know this has always been a very popular and respected race among serious runners, but I had no idea just how big a deal the event is for the city of Boston and the neighboring communities that line the course. This is a race that attracts 500,000+ spectators and is broadcast all over the world. After you’ve been signed up, they send you this massive PDF file ( I think 300 pages) . Which lists all the stats from all the years that the race has been held.
And check out some of the runner comments for the 2008 race. I don’t think I read a single review that had less than 4.5 stars
Here are some other interesting facts about the race that I pulled of the main page:
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I got to run Boston last year. The course is historic, but most of it isn’t very interesting. I wasn’t that impressed with the organization. The expo and the end of the race was a mob scene. Get on the buses early because the last buses took over 2 hours to get to the start.
But – it’s all worth it because of the crowds and the city. In San Francisco, most of the people don’t even know that a marathon is happening the day before. In Boston, everyone knows, and everyone wants to talk about it. (Last year, the Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials was going on too, so it was even better.) I spent all day Sunday watching the Trials and walking around, so my legs were shot on the morning of the race.
I made it over the hills, but struggled the last 4 miles. I was walking along the edge of the course and the crowds would reach out and put their hands on my shoulder and reassure me that I was doing fine. I’ve never had an experience like it.
Good luck and have a great time!