2020 Boston Marathon Thread (Read 408 times)

    I specifically called out “OTQ” spring marathons. Avenue of the Giants and Modesto do not even remotely fit into that category. Spring marathons in general are also tough to time the weather right outside of California, as seen by the disaster that is Boston each year.

     

    IDK what it takes for a race to be considered an OTQ marathon. But if you want to look out west, you might consider Vancouver or Eugene. Generally reliable weather, and reasonably fast courses.

    Dave

      Congrats to everybody that got in.  Somewhere around mile 21 during last year's Boston I decided that I would never run another marathon again.  That's traditionally the sort of feeling that disappears the next morning, but this one has lasted for 5 months.  I hope the weather sucks less this year for those that run.  Feel free to ask your logistical questions here... I got some help last year and would be happy to pay it back.

       

      Just reading this is giving me PTSD. The final miles of that race were THE. WORST. Although for some reason I still have not given up on marathons yet.

      Dave

      JMac11


      RIP Milkman

         

        Just reading this is giving me PTSD. The final miles of that race were THE. WORST. Although for some reason I still have not given up on marathons yet.

         

        Out of the 4 marathons I ran, the last 6 miles of Boston were by far the worst of any I have run. Although I finished with a PR, I was in a dark place and really wondered why I bothered with any of this and why I had been throwing away so much precious time. I guess that’s what happens when the clouds break, the sun comes out, and it’s 70 degrees and humid.

        5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

         

         


        delicate flower

          Damn near everyone had the same experience at Boston last year.  Looking at people's splits on Strava is brutal.  In retrospect, I am amazed that I managed to BQ that day.

          <3

            I didn't participate in the 2019 Boston debacle but 6 of my 8 Boston's have been completely miserable where you wonder why the hell you wasted so much time and energy and got your hopes up. You can't believe you fell for it again.

             

            Apart from the weather being good for running, the thing the 2 good ones (2009 and 2015) had in common was that I went in with low expectations and didn't treat it like a goal race.

             

            I'm sure if I had to travel I'd be done with this race for good but being local there's always that regret and feeling of missing out on the years I don't run it. It's hard to quit this damn thing.

            Runners run

            kcam


              I had better weather than many here as 4 of the 5 times I ran it the weather was either great or at least acceptable.  I always had a great time there but I'll likely never run it again as it's just too much logistics and cost coming from the West coast to be worth it for me.  Here's to good weather this coming year.

                I didn't participate in the 2019 Boston debacle but 6 of my 8 Boston's have been completely miserable where you wonder why the hell you wasted so much time and energy and got your hopes up. You can't believe you fell for it again.

                 

                Apart from the weather being good for running, the thing the 2 good ones (2009 and 2015) had in common was that I went in with low expectations and didn't treat it like a goal race.

                 

                I'm sure if I had to travel I'd be done with this race for good but being local there's always that regret and feeling of missing out on the years I don't run it. It's hard to quit this damn thing.

                 

                As a fellow local, I'm curious how you get to the starting line in Hopkinton.  All the accounts I've read are from people from out of town who take the buses from downtown Boston.  Is it possible to drive yourself close enough to the starting line?

                Personal Records:

                5K - 20:07 ran in September 2021 (The second half split during the 10K run listed below.)

                10K - 41:10 ran in September 2021

                8 miles - 56:15 ran in November 2021

                Half Marathon - 1:39:06 ran in September 2020


                From the Internet.

                   

                  As a fellow local, I'm curious how you get to the starting line in Hopkinton.  All the accounts I've read are from people from out of town who take the buses from downtown Boston.  Is it possible to drive yourself close enough to the starting line?

                   

                  https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/enter/transportation

                   

                  There are also a number of local clubs that have buses departing from various locations other than Boston and not all of them require you to be a member to reserve a spot.

                  scrumhalfgirl


                     

                    As a fellow local, I'm curious how you get to the starting line in Hopkinton.  All the accounts I've read are from people from out of town who take the buses from downtown Boston.  Is it possible to drive yourself close enough to the starting line?

                     

                    I got dropped off by a family member last year which was great - there are also designated parking lots. Just heads up though that there is LOTS of traffic around them, and then you need to take a shuttle bus to the high school at Hopkinton, so be prepared and go much earlier than you think you will. We left a big buffer last year, and I still basically got on a shuttle (which took like 20 minutes to go a mile) and walked right to the starting line.

                    -Jess


                    delicate flower

                       

                      https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/enter/transportation

                       

                      There are also a number of local clubs that have buses departing from various locations other than Boston and not all of them require you to be a member to reserve a spot.

                       

                      Club bus is the way go for me.  I'm lucky that Boston is a day trip from Connecticut.  The bus departs Farmington CT at 5:30 AM, stays parked in the athletes' village until race time, then departs for home from the finish line at 5:00 PM.  My club also books two hotel rooms at the Westin for showers and changing.  Costs me $80, which is well spent, especially since it's got a clean bathroom on it.

                      <3

                        Yeah Club bus FTMFW.

                         

                        My club's bus pickup spot (Lowell) is farther away for me than the BAA yellow school buses from downtown, but it's so, so much easier and more comfortable. And it provides a warm, dry place to hang out pre-race with a bathroom, and then they transport all your gear to a hotel suite near the finish line where you can shower, change, get a massage, food and drink, etc. Can't beat it.

                        Runners run


                        From the Internet.

                          V nice. The CRR bus looks promising for me - park in Braintree like 20 min from my house, take the red line back out of the city after. The only thing I'm concerned about is how to have my phone on me after the race without carrying it during the race. Tricky business.

                             I'll likely never run it again as it's just too much logistics and cost coming from the West coast to be worth it for me.  

                             

                            Yep. I won't say never, but it'll be a while. And if/when I do, probably would go more on the cheap and see if I can hook up with someone's club bus. But as a first-timer, I did all the Boston things - expensive hotel near the finish, yellow school buses, athlete's village mud pit - and wouldn't have done it any differently. Despite the brutal final miles of the race itself, the entire weekend was an amazing experience, and I am excited for all the first-timers-to-be. This was one thing in my life that truly lived up to the hype, and even exceeded it.

                            Dave

                            kcam


                              A +2 or 3 or whatever it's up to on the club buses, even if you're not a local.  One year I ran I connected up with the Irish American Running Club (any members here?!) and got a seat on their bus.  I think that was 2000 and it was my best run there ever.  Got to hang out in the warm bus pre-race and talk to some cool people.

                                Thanks for the tips about getting to Hopkinton.

                                 

                                When I first got back into running back in the spring, a marathon was not even on my radar.  It's still not really though I'm definitely thinking of a half as a goal.  Still, after reading blogs and other accounts of marathons, I'm at least considering it.  I'm 47 now.  I don't see being ready until I'm at least 50 so if the qualifying time remains the same, I'd need a 3:25.  Of course, I'd have to do that at a different marathon so that would push Boston back farther.  Who knows?  It's probably a long shot but having lived in the area and seen the excitement of the Boston marathon for many years, it would be a dream come true to participate.

                                Personal Records:

                                5K - 20:07 ran in September 2021 (The second half split during the 10K run listed below.)

                                10K - 41:10 ran in September 2021

                                8 miles - 56:15 ran in November 2021

                                Half Marathon - 1:39:06 ran in September 2020