Check out Via here in Bethlehem PA. It's in September. April is running it, and now I am planning to as well.

http://www.viamarathon.org/

The weather is a crapshoot (in 2011 when I ran the HM it was almost 70* at the start, and last year it was under 50*) but it's one of the top BQ courses in the country when it comes to total percentage of participants who qualify.

I like many others am heartbroken over the events of yesterday. I am relieved to know that our many

friends from home who ran yesterday and some who volunteered yesterday are all fine.

The Boston marathon IS THE REASON I started doing marathons in 2010 at age 48  after 10

years of doing half marathons with no previous desire to ever run a full marathon. Almost exactly 6

months later I crossed the finish line of my first full.

Being there in 2010  to watch my hubby and friends run. Witnessing the spectacle.  Experiencing everything

from being at the START line to watch the elites start and at the FINISH line (just a few hundred feet from

where the bombs went off) to seen them finish and watch for my hubby. Soaking in the excitement and joy.

Seeing a city of such size and population pulling together to support  this singular athletic event that

celebrates the achievements of the ordinary runner just as much as it does the elites. Having total strangers

congratulating my husband, wearing his medal,  as we walked from the race back to meet our friends.

Yes we have participated in other large marathons. But nothing is like the Boston experience.

That was a singular life changing day for me in a positive way. It's one of those kinds of days in your life where

you can literally recall everything you saw and were feeling. To know that a special day like that turned into

tragedy for so many is beyond heartbreaking.

We will be back to Boston and we will keep running marathons.

Those who want to do harm will target any large highly publicized public event. If you let them stop you from

doing what you enjoy then they have achieved their purpose. Unfortunately this is the world we live in. We must

be cautious but we cannot stop living and enjoying life.

Beth - excellent post, that sums up how I'm feeling.  Thank you for putting it so eloquently.

I know it's not the full marathon, but I'm seriously tempted to try to sign up for the BAA's half marathon in October.  Registration opens 7/17/13 from what I could gather from the site.

I think I'll be altering my plans to complete the Cape Cod Half series and replace the final race with the BAA Half instead. It's more important to give back to the running community than to get a cool jacket.

Glad to hear folks here are okay, very saddened by the senseless tragedy.

I feel the same. I was thinking maybe 2015 or 2016, but now I'm going to push as hard as I can for 2014. Guess I need to find another marathon before Chicago... (and really focus on speedwork!)

 

 D^2, here's the current qualifying info.  If you want to get in to 2014 you should pick a race before the middle of September -- Oct or later would get you into 2015.

Thanks, I wasn't sure how it worked.  Probably not going to happen then, since there are no marathons around here in July/August timeframe (for good reason).  Might try a charity spot, while still trying to qualify in the fall, or I may stick to my original plan, we'll see.  But I will run Boston, 2015 at the latest.

Hilary, I want to say thank you for being in the medical tent yesterday.  When I heard the news, I like many others wanted to do something...anything immediately for the broken.  I've stayed on the fringes of most discussions in the forum, but please know it was comforting yesterday knowing that one of our own was not only okay, but also able to be down there on the front line and use their skills and training to help in the middle of the tragedy.  If you weren't a giving person, you wouldn't have been in position to help out.  So...a heartfelt thank you.