Events

Boston Marathon Race Review

Boston Marathon is held on the Monday of the Patriot’s Day long weekend. This year’s Marathon Monday for the 119th Boston Marathon was 20 April 2015. I arrived in Boston on the Friday after...

Boston Marathon is held on the Monday of the Patriot’s Day long weekend. This year’s Marathon Monday for the 119^th Boston Marathon was 20 April 2015.

I arrived in Boston on the Friday after a short stay in New York that eliminated most of the jet lag. Travel was an AMTRAK train to Boston Back Bay station and a short walk to the Westin Copley Hotel which is also near the finish line for the Marathon.

Friday afternoon was Expo time with bib pickup and shopping for a few BAA branded essentials and souvenirs.  There was a great range of products on the Friday but by Sunday there are some empty shelves.

Saturday, BAA has a 5km race from Boston Common although it’s more of a fun run for the majority of the participants.  For travellers it’s a good chance to shake out the stiffness and also to have a look at the Marathon finish line.  It was also a great chance to meet up with the other Aussies in the Travelling Fit group.

Saturday and Sunday were fine and sunny with temperatures that were maybe a little warmer than ideal for running.  The weather forecast for Monday looked doubtful and suggested cold, rain and wind with the showers starting about the same time as the race at 10:00.  Who would be a Race Director?  They just can’t win.

Monday and it was off to Boston Common to board one of the fleet of school buses for the one hour trip to the start at Hopkinton.  Security was tight with a no bag policy.  Any extra clothing you were wearing needed to be left at Hopkinton for charity.  It was not much of a problem because you learnt after a few days that Marathon weekend means no bags or clear plastic bags for everything.

Boston Marathon is a point to point race with a course that has hardly changed over the history of the race.  Because it’s point to point and is net downhill the course does not qualify for world records, not that I was likely to challenge any record.

The drop off at Hopkinton, if you catch the right bus, is about 2 hours before your scheduled start time.  The athlete’s village had hot drinks, water, bananas and bagels.  There were a few large tents for shelter and plenty of Portaloos (Portajohns for the Americans).  The battle in the village was trying to stay warm. The weather forecast had it right: no wind or rain yet but a temperature of only about 3ºC.  I was thinking that I needed different running clothes but it was too late to change.  At least I had running gloves and a beanie. The beanie looked ridiculous but was essential on the day.

About an hour before my scheduled start time, my wave began to move towards the start line about 600m from the athlete’s village. Out in the open and the rain began.  I was towards the back of Wave 3 so the elite runners had heard the National Anthem and departed well before I get there.

After 30 to 40 minutes standing in the rain it was my turn to run. I heeded the advice to take things easy, as the first km is a big downhill drop. After that it was settle into a rhythm and try and keep it smooth over a course that is always slightly undulating.  Although there were large numbers of runners, the strict seeding by qualifying times means that there wasn’t much need to swerve around slower runners and I didn’t feel crowded like City2Surf.  No road rage incidents and everyone seemed very happy to encourage those around them.

The course is designed so that you run from Hopkinton through the outer towns and suburbs of Boston into Back Bay. Boston has been using a slogan, ‘Everyone in Boston Owns the Marathon’. The locals seem to believe this and in each town you pass, the crowds were 4 or 5 deep along most of the course. The advertising says there are up to a million people out supporting this event. Probably an exaggeration unless they are including television numbers but amazing when you are used to the handful of people we get in some Australian events.

My first half went well. At half way I was still on schedule for the planned 3:45 finish.  The only problem was the weather.  The temperature had risen to 6ºC but it was still raining and the wind was starting to pick up.  The wind chill made the effective temperature close to zero. Hands, feet and face were almost numb. Drink stations became difficult as I couldn’t hold the cups properly. The drinks felt so cold that I could feel them go down to stomach and if I drank more than a mouthful or two the core temperature dropped and shivering started.

My pace after half way was slowing a bit but not by much.  I had been warned about the Newton Hills, which are around the 32-35km mark, There are 3 or 4 hills but I was half way up the last one (Heartbreak Hill) before I really noticed.  The hills aren’t very steep but have sustained climbs that are energy sapping that far into a marathon. The Boston Heart Break Hill is not even close to the climb of the Sydney namesake.

After the top of Heart Break Hill it’s mostly downhill to the finish but like everyone around me it was difficult to get back on pace. Whether I had gone out a bit fast early and over done the quads on the previous downhill sections of whether it was just the cold, I don’t know.  The weather was getting worse and it was no longer possible to miss the big puddles on the road. It would have been very easy to pack it in but the crowds were still out there in the rain with their horns and cowbells, voices or anything else that makes lots of noise. No matter how miserable you feel the crowds will get you through that last few kilometers.

At last you turn into Hereford Street and see the familiar landmark of the Expo in front.  Then it’s a left turn onto Boylston Street and the crowd of thousands screaming support for 600m sprint, hobble or crawl to the finish.

Past the finish line its medals and space blankets and lots of congratulations.  It felt like everyone in Boston is happy because you finished.

The weather this year made it a tough marathon.  When I finished, the medical facilities at the finish were close to full of runners that became hypothermic soon after the finish.   I was very glad to have a warm and comfortable hotel just around the corner from the finish line.

My finish time was just under 3:52 but there was still close to half the field behind me and the rain and wind increased about 45min after I finished.  Those out on the track at that stage really had it tough.

A few hours later I had defrosted in the hotel and it was time to celebrate. Outside, there were still large numbers of finishers coming over the line. It was still raining and windy.  The crowds were still there being noisy and supporting anyone going past.

Thanks Boston.

Written By Timothy Horton

Boston Marathon Race Report

Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin. Of all the major marathons around the world the one I've always wanted to do is Boston. The world's longest continually held race. The one with the ...

Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin. Of all the major marathons around the world the one I’ve always wanted to do is Boston. The world’s longest continually held race. The one with the strictest qualifying times outside of the Olympics. 2012 would be the 116th Boston Marathon and would include me as one of 27,000 runners entered.

Not having travelled to mainland USA before, I was pleased to see that Boston as a city is modern, pretty and wonderfully well-preserved but with a small-town feel. Cute 19th century brownstone buildings line the streets. The days when those same streets were lit by lanterns can easily be imagined.

The marathon is a huge event for the city. Everywhere you walk there are lean-looking people wearing compression gear, event clothing and fluoro shoes as fashion items. You can easily spot the other runners around town, as with 27,000 people entered, they are everywhere. The atmosphere around town is exciting as people get ready to be part of the world’s oldest race.

The Course

The Boston Marathon is a point-to-point run, starting in a town called Hopkinton and finishing in one of the main streets in Boston. Hopkinton, which happens to be 26.2 miles west of Boston, is a picture perfect town with houses which remind you of any movie set in rural New England. The race itself winds through a number of other scenic towns before getting to the city of Boston. For most of the way the run is along a two-lane road. It is only towards the end that the course expands into wide city streets.

The run is net downhill, but it’s not generally known for being a fast course. There are a number of hills in the second half of the course, with the most notable being the last one, known as Heartbreak Hill. These hills are between miles 15 and 20. This is where the race would start to get tough and test out everyone.

The Weather

North American weather can be fickle in April. When I left Sydney I’d seen a 7-day forecast for Boston, and the temperature for race day was looking to be 6 (min.) to 16 (max.), perfect running conditions. By the time I’d arrived, the forecast had been radically amended and Monday was to be the centre of a one-day heatwave. I wouldn’t be needing any of the cold weather clothes I’d packed in anticipation of it being cold at the start. The Mayor of Boston spoke publicly requesting runners not to run & the BAA took the unusual step of allowing runners to defer their entry to next year because of the forecast hot conditions. That would have been generous for the local runners, but was not much of an option when you’ve already booked flights and planned a holiday around the race. At the same time, the BAA told us by email that “THIS IS NOT A RACE. It is an experience” (their capitals) and advised us to consider running significantly more slowly than normal.

The day of this year’s race turned out to be 31 degrees (or 89 Fahrenheit in their language). It was almost 11am before I crossed the start line, so I knew that I was in for a hot day for the duration, however long that would be. What I couldn’t find was any shade the entire way. Even though some of the course is through the countryside, the trees had come out of their cold winter and were devoid of leaves.

The organisers did their best with drink stations at every mile and misting tents, which is like running through a car wash but without the washers.

The Spectators

The race is always held on Patriots’ Day, which is a state-wide public holiday in Massachusetts. Being a public holiday and the biggest event in town, spectators were lining the streets from start to finish.

What I noticed about the crowds is that they are very loud and they will cheer on absolutely everyone, especially complete strangers. Many runners had their names on the front of their shirt so that people could cheer them especially.

I ran in a canary yellow Wallabies singlet (with Qantas’ name and logo on the front as the sponsor) and green Socceroos shorts. Now, I thought that was as Aussie as I could get. But it appears that Australian green and gold are not very well known in the north-east of America. I heard more shouts of “you go Qantas” than “come on Aussie”. I think that most people thought that my name was Qantas.

Having said that, the crowds really were fantastic. Their support was phenomenal, and so many were there with garden hoses, oranges, ice and wet towels for the runners. This was in addition to what had been provided by the organisers.

The Race

I was expecting the field to be around 27,000 runners. This would easily be the biggest race I have ever been a part of. Later I’d find out that many people made the decision not to run and only around 22,500 started the race. Even so, the feeling of being part of the mass of runners all heading in the same direction for so long was amazing.

Given the logistics of getting that many runners transported to the start line, the race doesn’t start until 10am. With the heat, all plans of a PB were out the window. Having run Sydney Marathon last year in similar heat I had some idea of what to expect and aimed to take it slowly. I was optimistically thinking that an extra 10 minutes on top of my 3:30 goal time might be a realistic new target.

As most of the first half is downhill, I tried to conserve my energy for the later stages. A fairly constant 5:15 per km pace got me to halfway in 1 hour 50. Unfortunately, my speed went downhill after around 25km.

It was the heat that got to me more than the hills. The last hill, Heartbreak Hill, is not as steep as the one in Sydney’s City2Surf, but is much harder being at the 20mile stage of a marathon compared to 4km into a 14km fun run. The hills at Boston do slow you down but they are runnable, but the heat was far worse.

I ended up running/walking the last 10km. I’d pick a marker in the distance and run to that, then walk for a bit. The last 10km was where my time blew out, but I probably would have been looking at around 3:50 even without the walking. A lot of that last 10km was a blur, with me hoping that the next mile marker would come around quickly so that there was another drink station (and a chance to walk and not be passed). The crowds were so loud over that section that there was no way you would stop and walk off the course there. In the end I do remember seeing the Citgo sign which meant we were near the city and the last few streets before the finish.

After crossing the finish line I liked the irony of the heat blankets were provided – these are usually used to protect finishers from hypothermia. I was glad that the Westin Copley Hotel organised by Travelling Fit was literally around the corner from the finish. Even though I could barely walk I knew I could make it that far back to the comfort of the hotel.

The Aftermath

One day later, the newspaper headlines were calling it a ‘survival race’ and I don’t think they are exaggerating. One reporter who ran the race noted that everyone was probably going 20 to 40 minutes slower than they thought they would be. The winning time was 2:12:40, much slower than 2011’s fastest ever run of 2:03:02. My own finishing time was a personal worst of 4:01, but it still put me in the top half overall, which gives some indication how tough it was for everyone.

Afterwards I saw one comment on facebook from a friend that said “congratulations. Forget about the time. You can now say that you have achieved something very few do.”

Having now run Boston and been a part of their long history, it’s time to enjoy the rest of the holiday. Boston is where there’s Harvard University, famous art galleries, and some modern American culture (eating hot dogs and popcorn while watching a Red Sox game at the 100-year old Fenway Park). Then it’s down to New York to see other world famous sights.

Cheers from Boston.

Written By Pete Fallows