Still unable to run due to injuries.. I cajoled a running friend to submit this review of Boston

Did you qualify for Boston? What is your Boston time? Have you done Boston?

You get the idea that Boston is the pinnacle of the marathon world. There always seemed to be so much hype about the race that you had to feel that it was overrated and actually running the race would be a let down. Not so.

There is plenty to read about the history of the race, racing strategies and the like but in a word, being there and running the race is fun. The first thing that struck me was the immense amount of organization that it took to get so many people to the starting line and then taking care of them for a couple of hours until the race actually began. I was surprised by the huge tents to house the runners at the high school in Hopkinton. I was surprised by the barricades and police as we walked the four blocks to the starting line although as I looked around for a last spot to relieve myself it was evident as to their purpose. I was amazed by the continuous wall of runners for the entire 26.2 miles and was not disappointed at the crowd support. It was all that I had heard before the race and then some. My only surprise during the race was Heartbreak Hill which didn’t seem that great an obstacle and I have encountered hills in many other races that are much worse.

My thoughts at actually “doing Boston” was that it was something to cross of the list, something everyone should do once, but now having now done it, I find that I really want to go again. It lived up to all of the hype and now I need to qualify again!

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