2020 Boston Marathon Thread (Read 408 times)


delicate flower

    NBC Sports will be broadcasting a marathon marathon all next week, showing replays of some of the recent majors. It starts on Monday at 6 AM ET, with the last 6 Bostons.

     

    BTW I've got this going today for work background noise/distraction.  I got back from my morning jog in time to catch the 2014 end, and now I am looking forward to the 2018 broadcast which I'll end up watching during my bike workout.

    <3

    Christirei


      well, there was at least one guy out there early today

      grapes


         

        Blame Bush Trump. I'm confident people are out there running the course today. I'll check Strava in a few hours for some new segment PRs.

         

        Thanks, Obama?

        Running Problem


        Problem Child

           

          Thanks, Obama?

           

          I knew I forgot someone.

           

          EDIT: And there it is...

          https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/04/20/runners-take-on-boston-marathon-course-despite-coronavirus-postponement/

          Runners trickled across the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street Monday afternoon, throwing their hands up to celebrate the jaunt from Hopkinton to Copley Square — despite officials urging marathoners to stay away from the course during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

          “It was just completely peaceful and kind of a euphoric experience,” said Pamela Spuehler, 33, of Waltham, who ran to honor the memory of her husband, who died last year. “I figured if I had trained, I might as well put the effort in and see what I can do.”

          The annual Patriots Day race was postponed as because of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s now scheduled for Sept. 14, but some runners still wanted to cover the 26.2-mile iconic course on Monday.

          Friends cheered Spuehler on along the route. While running, she recalled the years she handed out water at Wellesley College, along with her college years hollering for runners at Boston University.

           

          “It was very emotional when I went through there,” Spuehler said about BU.

          Another runner who ran the 26.2 miles said he “wanted to make it the continuous, longest-running marathon in history, and continue the 124-year tradition.”

          “Nobody’s looking for any cheers or anything,” said the runner, who declined to give his name.

          “We’ve done it through wars and polio,” he said.

          In 1918, the Boston Marathon had a “temporary change of format” because of World War I. Instead of the traditional race that year, they had a 10-man military relay race on the course.

           

          This year, officials shelved the race to the fall because of the coronavirus pandemic, and they told runners to steer clear of the course on Monday.

          “It’s a little bit of a disappointment to not run, but I do applaud John Hancock and the BAA to make the tough decision to hold off until September,” said onlooker Amanda Cirello, 35, of Boston.

          “I thought about running, to be honest, but there’s the safety issue if you get hurt out there and no one is there to help you, and the hospitals are already at capacity,” she said. “So I’m here to just pay my respects.”

          Eric Bennett, 27, also said he considered running the entire course on Monday, but decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

          “We all need to do our part,” the Boston resident said.

          Instead, he ran just the final half-mile stretch from Hereford Street down Boylston Street.

          “I tried to imagine the crowds and envision what it’d be like crossing this finish line,” Bennett said, noting he stopped right before the line because it’s bad luck to cross while not racing. “I hope to cross it in September. That’s the goal.”

          Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

          VDOT 53.37 

          5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

          Julia1971


            I think we're just under 18 weeks out from the new date.  Thought I'd post to gauge the temperature of the group...  Who has started training?  Who's not going to bother?  If you're the betting type, do you think it will go on or be postponed again?

             

            I was signed up for Boston and London and have been trying to figure out which is more likely to happen.  Since Boston is up first, I thought London would be my better bet.  But, I'm also worried that international travel might still be restrictive in October.  On the other hand, if they try to do some type of elite-only or smaller event, I'm hoping they might let the age-group world championship people (which is how I got in) participate. In any event, I will start training in two weeks with the goal of being in marathon shape in time for Boston if it happens but wanting to peak for London.

              If you're the betting type, do you think it will go on or be postponed again?

                


              Well I’m not registered this year so not sure if my vote counts, but I would bet the farm that Boston is not happening in 2020. Or any large race, in the US at least. Things will start to open up, but in 4 months I cannot imagine being ready to pack thousands of runners into convention centers and school buses and starting corrals. Not to mention all the volunteers & spectators.

               

              I don’t have as good a feel for the temperature in other countries, but I’d guess the same.

              Dave


              delicate flower

                I think we're just under 18 weeks out from the new date.  Thought I'd post to gauge the temperature of the group...  Who has started training?  Who's not going to bother?  If you're the betting type, do you think it will go on or be postponed again? 

                 

                I don't see how Boston is going to happen for the age groupers.  Maybe it'll be an elite-only race, but I don't see the rest of us getting to run.  I am running a shitload of miles now anyway because I've got nothing better to do with my free COVID time, so I'll be ready for Boston either way.  All of the local autumn agricultural fairs here in the northeast are starting to cancel and they tend to bring in tens of thousands of people.

                 

                BAA has definitely changed their tone with their COVID updates.  Earlier updates had the "See in September!" tone, and now they are more like "We're keeping an eye on things."

                <3

                Julia1971



                  Well I’m not registered this year so not sure if my vote counts, but I would bet the farm that Boston is not happening in 2020. Or any large race, in the US at least. Things will start to open up, but in 4 months I cannot imagine being ready to pack thousands of runners into convention centers and school buses and starting corrals. Not to mention all the volunteers & spectators.

                   

                  I don’t have as good a feel for the temperature in other countries, but I’d guess the same.

                   

                  All votes count on this one.

                   

                  I was listening to a few podcasts last week and one or two talked about what it might look like and yeah, it's hard to imagine doing any kind of social distancing with thousands of runners.

                  Julia1971


                     

                    I don't see how Boston is going to happen for the age groupers.  Maybe it'll be an elite-only race, but I don't see the rest of us getting to run.  I am running a shitload of miles now anyway because I've got nothing better to do with my free COVID time, so I'll be ready for Boston either way.  All of the local autumn agricultural fairs here in the northeast are starting to cancel and they tend to bring in tens of thousands of people.

                     

                    BAA has definitely changed their tone with their COVID updates.  Earlier updates had the "See in September!" tone, and now they are more like "We're keeping an eye on things."

                     

                    Hahaha!  I was thinking to myself the other day, "You should be getting into the best shape of your life!"  But moving is my excuse.  It's been exhausting but I'm finally able to focus more on running.

                     

                    I was surprised they even sent out an email last week.  I almost completely forgot about the marathon until then.  It led me to think maybe this thing will happen so I finally booked a hotel.

                      I think we're just under 18 weeks out from the new date.  Thought I'd post to gauge the temperature of the group...  Who has started training?  Who's not going to bother?  If you're the betting type, do you think it will go on or be postponed again?

                       

                      Oh geez 18 weeks? Haha no, I'm not training. I'm actually finding it really hard to run during Covid for a bunch of reasons and I wasn't all that motivated even before it hit.

                       

                      It seems unlikely this thing happens anyway.

                      Runners run

                      Mikkey


                      Mmmm Bop

                         

                        I was signed up for Boston and London and have been trying to figure out which is more likely to happen.  Since Boston is up first, I thought London would be my better bet.  But, I'm also worried that international travel might still be restrictive in October.  On the other hand, if they try to do some type of elite-only or smaller event, I'm hoping they might let the age-group world championship people (which is how I got in) participate. In any event, I will start training in two weeks with the goal of being in marathon shape in time for Boston if it happens but wanting to peak for London.

                         

                        Well the way I see it....Germany currently has 8k deaths from Covid-19 and they’ve cancelled Berlin (ok that’s in September).  The UK has approx 34k deaths, so unfortunately I don’t think London will be happening this year as a mass race. Pretty sad as fundraising is a huge part of the event and charities have been hit hard from the postponement. Hopefully you’ll get there in 2021 if it’s cancelled. 👍

                        5k - 17:53 (4/19)   10k - 37:53 (11/18)   Half - 1:23:18 (4/19)   Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)

                        Julia1971


                           

                          Oh geez 18 weeks? Haha no, I'm not training. I'm actually finding it really hard to run during Covid for a bunch of reasons and I wasn't all that motivated even before it hit.

                           

                          It seems unlikely this thing happens anyway.

                           

                          Yeah, the time passed quickly.  I imagine the race organizers are feeling a bit of whiplash from postponing to already thinking about September...

                           

                          Any sense for how the citizens of Boston feel about all of this?  It occurred to me that they might not be excited about a bunch of runners bringing their germs to town.

                          Julia1971


                             

                            Well the way I see it....Germany currently has 8k deaths from Covid-19 and they’ve cancelled Berlin (ok that’s in September).  The UK has approx 34k deaths, so unfortunately I don’t think London will be happening this year as a mass race. Pretty sad as fundraising is a huge part of the event and charities have been hit hard from the postponement. Hopefully you’ll get there in 2021 if it’s cancelled. 👍

                             

                            Thanks!  I'm not deferring/taking refunds for either race.  Especially for London.  I may requalify for Boston but getting back into London...  highly unlikely.


                            delicate flower

                               

                              Thanks!  I'm not deferring/taking refunds for either race.  Especially for London.  I may requalify for Boston but getting back into London...  highly unlikely.

                               

                              Sorry about potentially losing London.  That does suck because it is so hard to get into.  You're a good enough runner to get into Boston any year.

                               

                              I passed on trying to get into NY this year despite have a qualifier time because I didn't want the logistical headache, so wife and I were going to run Nashville instead.  We've already decided to skip that too.  At least we hadn't registered yet.

                              <3

                                 

                                I passed on trying to get into NY this year despite have a qualifier time because I didn't want the logistical headache

                                 

                                Same, although more due to cost. And turned out I saved myself potentially one disappointment with the time-qualifier slots filling up so fast, and if I made it past that, a second disappointment with the race likely getting cancelled.

                                Dave