After 39 years of living within a mile of the Boston Marathon route, I finally made it out to my first one yesterday. My friend Chris, who comments here as CC, was running in his first one. He was running to raise money for the Aids Action Committee, and we went out to cheer him on around the 21-mile mark.
If I’m reading the website correctly it looks like he finished in 4 hours, 5 minutes, and 52 seconds, an impressive feat.
CONGRATULATIONS CHRIS! NICE JOB!
I’d also like to extend my congratulations to everyone else who ran it, no matter how long it took them, and those who had the guts to try it, no matter how far they got.
This being my first marathon, I have to say I was not only amazed by the runners, but also by the people supporting the runners.
The spot we were in, right at the bottom of Heartbreak Hill, was packed with people, even 4 hours after the race began. We were there for about an hour, and during that time we were surrounded by people who were maniacally cheering on complete strangers.
It’s one thing to go to a ballgame and route for your team. Sure these people are pretty much strangers, but we know their names, know a little bit about them, and know that they play for the team we are rooting for.
In this case, just about every runner is a face in the crowd. Someone they have never seen before and will never see again. There were other people like us there, people who were waiting for a particular runner to come by so they could show them some support. But there were hundreds of people who were just rooting for everyone that went by.
It was constant cheering the entire time we were there. I’ve been at Fenway during a World Series and I’m not even sure the cheering during that was as consistent and unfaltering as what I heard during that hour yesterday.
I imagine that it’s like this along the entire 26 miles, and hearing that for the entire run must be an incredible boost for the runners. So, regardless of their motives for being there, they are there, and I have to believe that there are runners who finished when they might not have, finished faster than they might have, or maybe got a lot further than they would have, because these people were out there doing their thing, and they deserve some credit for that.
My hat goes off to all the marathon supporters.
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Thanks Bob, I'm glad you were there.
Believe me, the support makes all the difference. Coming up Commonwealth Ave./Heartbreak Hill was grueling, but knowing you and my other friends were waiting on the other side helped get me through it. Then as I ran off I felt a surge of adrenaline like I could do anything. Crossing the finish line was one of the greatest feelings of my life.
The girls at Wellesley College lived up to their reputation as well. You would have thought Tom Brady was running by, based on the screaming. Some of the posters they made were good too. Like, "I'll kiss you if you keep running." "Finally some men around here." Or "How bad do you want it," which made me wonder if she meant her or to finish the race. But either option was pretty inspiring. Once I got out of the suburbs people were encouraging me based on my Aids Action shirt, which was really nice. I was really impressed with all the support that was shown. It makes you feel good about living here.
Since you write about the Sox, you might be interested to know that I was next to Kelly, the (former?) third base ball girl for the Red Sox at the starting line in Hopkinton. I told her that I recognized her, she laughed and told me it was her first marathon and I wished her luck.
-CC
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