The marathon is one of the toughest events in sports. Anyone who completes one during their lifetime has done something truly incredible in my eyes. I was a pretty good distance runner once upon a time, but have never mustered up the courage to run in even a half marathon, let alone the 26.2 mile monster that is a marathon. It is something that takes extreme dedication for months, often with no payoff other than personal satisfaction (hopefully). You might get a pat on the back from someone who finished near you and hear congratulations from your family and close friends that knew you were running the race, but that is about it.
While doing any marathon is amazing, running in the Boston Marathon is at another level. Unlike other marathons, you have to qualify to run in Boston. When you go to Boston, according to my father, it is a completely different atmosphere. Everyone is excited, they have a marathon village set up there. When you are running at Boston, the entire course is lined with fans cheering you on. In other marathons, outside of the start and finish, you won't hear very much noise other than from the volunteers handing out water and electrolytes. When you run at Boston, everyone manages to find out, not just the people you tell. Winning the Boston Marathon is pretty much as prestigious as winning the marathon at the Olympics. Boston is that big. It is the greatest road race in the world, and I think that more people should know about it each year.
Per usual, Kenyans and Ethiopians dominated the marathon run on Monday. Kenyan Salina Kosgei won the women's race in 2:32:16, and Ethiopian Deriba Merga won the men's race in 2:08:42. That time puts Merga's pace at just under five minutes per mile. That is ridiculous. That is something that many people cannot even comprehend. Even as a runner, I have no comprehension of that kind of consistency and endurance. It is truly an incredible accomplishment, and I hope awareness of these kinds of things increases as people learn to appreciate them.
Nate,
ReplyDeleteYou are still a pretty good distance runner. You are correct about Boston being an exciting race. One other unique thing about Boston Marathon is that it is a "point-to-point" race. You basically run east for 26 miles from one city to another. Most other races have the start and finish at nearly the same place. Boston makes the logistics of getting to the start of the race a little tougher. But for most of us ordinary runners, qualifying for Boston is the highlight of running.
Speaking of running, this weekend is the time of two of Americas most prestigious track meets. The 100th Drake Realys are held in Des Moines, Iowa and the Penn Relays are in Philly.