Pooping in a porta-potty with no toilet paper, fatigue after just 45 minutes, followed later by stomach cramps and then foot/toe cramps painful enough to seek medical attention all while running 26+ miles just before narrowly escaping a bombing. Yeah, sounds like a lot of fun!! lol, you know you're a runner when...
Actually though it does sound like fun! Congrats on a great run in Boston!
That's a seriously awesome race report. I loved all of the pictures and I love that you took a picture at every mile marker and still managed an awesome time as far as I'm concerned. I felt like I was right there in the race with you. Oh, and the port-a-potty situation made me laugh hard. Rule #1 of using a port-a-potty in a mega race, bring your own TP .
Barking Mad To Run
Correct - if you fund raise for one of the BAA 'partner' charities, you can run with a bib. A lot of people do Boston this way.
That is the only way I'd ever get in, lol. And I'd be waaaaay at the back too. I probably would still be out there after the course closed.
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt
I wondered if they let some slow charity runners to start well before anybody else? I saw on TV the elite men passing some slow, older runners with high #bib.
Slow and steady never wins anything.
I'd be scared out of my mind by the thousands of runners about to trample me!
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
I know they let the soldiers who are marching with rucksacks start early and I think they let some folks with mobility impairments or other special needs individual start early. I nearly ran over someone only a few miles into the race. Of course, I also saw Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot standing by the side of the road around Mile 4.
And Goo, you very well may have seen me because I did park at Forest Hills.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
Great report. Question: Aren't there quite a few runners in the race who didn't run qualifying times? They raised money for charity or whatever so they didn't have to qualify? Just wondering if that's why he saw people walking and blowing up so much. I thought I had read through sponsors and fundraising not everyone there had run a BQ time
+1 to what other people have said re. charity runners. I would also add that even qualifiers could blow up during the actual race. Quite a bit of time goes by between the qualifying race and the marathon. A lot can happen then - you could get sick/injured, undertrain, etc. Sometimes things just happen (like Damaris' asthma).
Upcoming:
July 27 - San Francisco marathon
Don't call me Buttercup!
Pretty sure plenty of people who ran your same time fought for every second... and you stopped to take pictures 30 times. LOL Good for you! I'm so glad you had a great time.
Slow and steady wins the.... wait a second! I've been lied to!
Healed Hammy
LTC Deel - Thank you
I know they let the soldiers who are marching with rucksacks start early and I think they let some folks with mobility impairments or other special needs individual start early. I nearly ran over someone only a few miles into the race. Of course, I also saw Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot standing by the side of the road around Mile 4. And Goo, you very well may have seen me because I did park at Forest Hills.
Now I'm pissed off that I didn't approach that guy to ask.
Well, somewhere else the next time.
Did I understand correctly that you wiped your ass whilst walking in the open public?! After wiping with the shreds of paper that are on the disgusting floor of the port-o-potty?!
I truly enjoyed your RR and your photos. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself at this one.
LTH, really enjoyed your report. Not too long, just right. Thanks for sharing and it's nice to see that
you really truly enjoyed the day.
As for the porta potty, at least you came away with your socks still on your feet. One think I have learned
as a runner and a girl, who visits the porty several times prior to race start, is to always have a good
supply of tissues stuck in any pocket that can hold them.
And you were correct, the mobility impaired athletes are given an early start. I assume that includes sight
impaired as well.
+1 to what other people have said re. charity runners. I would also add that even qualifiers could blow up during the actual race. Quite a bit of time goes by between the qualifying race and the marathon. A lot can happen then - you could get sick/injured, undertrain, etc.
+1
But not just the thousands of charity runners. The towns (and running clubs associated) through which the
race is run and large sponsor corporations also get entries to give out as they see fit.
I don't judge or wonder why anyone is stopping or walking during any type of race. So many reasons these things
happen. A friend of ours who is a sub 3:30 marathoner and BQ'd many times acquired a "Lyme Disease" type of
affliction that kept him from running for almost an entire year. His first marathon back after that was much slower
and more painful than any he had ever done. I'm sure he stopped or walked quite a bit during that race.
If I ever qualified for Boston but was unable to train properly because of illness but able to show up that day and
run under the 6 hours you damn well bet I would be there and enjoy the hell of out every minute.
Beer-and-waffle Powered
Thanks for writing this. I just cracked a Rochefort 8 (have I suggested you run the Brussels Marathon?) while I'm catching up on Boston report reading .
Sounds like a fun rental car. That much for an apartment? That's barely twice the size of my ROOM. Slick jacket. 100 beers on tap is crazy, even around here the bar with 40 is considered "a ton". I definitely agree with the toilet situation being the worst part of mega races.
Lack of training? Too much beer? Picture taking? Sounds like you re-ran my Berlin Marathon (which leads me to point out that your PW is 24 seconds slower than my PW, so it would only be appropriate if your PB gets lowered 24 seconds below mine in a few months).
That's good it was too cold at the end and you were able to get back to you car before the bombs went off, I'm sure your family was incredibly relieved to be able to get a hold of you.
In the words of my late-coach : Just hang in there, relax... and at the end of a race anyone you see.....just pass them
Caretaker/Overlook Hotel
Ok, so if I ever run boston........wet naps!
Randy
Uffda
Nice RR Brad. I really enjoyed all of the pictures. After reading a few of these I really start getting a sense of the course in my mind.
I started looking at Marathon plans and what it would take to BQ. It will take a fair amount of work to get there.
- Andrew