“As a runner, there seems to be a collective feeling that one day, you’ll run Boston.” – Elizabeth Corneau, Boston.com
I don’t have the words to explain how much I respect anyone who runs Boston.
For runners, the Boston Marathon is the Holy Grail. It is the world’s oldest annual marathon. It is the “Granddaddy of Them All”. It is arguably the greatest athletic event on the planet.
Yesterday, I was messaged by several concerned friends asking me if I had run the race. I hadn’t. I can’t. I’m not close to being good enough. Maybe someday but not today and not tomorrow. Maybe never. My best time in the marathon is 3 hours and 52 minutes.
The best professional runners in the world run Boston. The race is prestigious. The prize money is hefty. But those professional runners make up a small fraction of a small percentage of the 26k runners that toe the line in Hopkinton.
The best amateur runners in the world run Boston. Qualifying for Boston is a great athletic achievement. In running circles it is simply known by two letters “BQ” (for Boston Qualifier). A man, age 18-34 must run a 3:05:00 marathon in the year and a half prior to running Boston. That’s running a 7:03 per mile pace for 26.2 miles. To give you some idea how fast that is, the next time you are on a treadmill, set the pace up to 8.9. That’s the pace that runners must hold for 26 miles 385 yards. And unlike a treadmill, runners have to contend with hills, wind, heat and sun.
Qualifying times are adjusted for age and gender. But the goal of the BAA is to have all qualifiers run the equivalent of 7:03 minute miles for 26.2 taking into account age and gender. You can see a chart of qualifying times by clicking here.
For many, many, runners qualifying for Boston is the product of years of hard work. The runners balance jobs and families while pursuing their goal of running 26 miles 385 yards in 3 hours and 5 minutes. Some runners spend years trying only to come up just short of qualifying.
Some in the running community refer to Boston as a 26.2 mile victory lap. The race is so great that it’s seen as a reward for qualifying.
But that’s also only part of the story of Boston.
The only other way to get into Boston is to be one of the world’s most charitable runners. There are a certain number of entries given to specific charities by the BAA. Runners generally raise approximately $5000 to gain entry into the Boston Marathon. In 2012, the marathon raised 11.4 million dollars for charity. The stories of the charity runners are touching. You raise $5000 to run 26.2 miles for a reason. If you want to be moved, read “Here’s To Runner #24420”.
At 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 10, age 36, Andrew could no longer fight. Kristen’s baby brother had passed away, leaving Kristen to face one of the most challenging times of her life.
Could Kristen make it up her own Heartbreak Hill? Would she still run?
If anyone had a doubt, Runner #24420 answers by quoting Andrew’s favorite song, “Move Along” by the All American Rejects. “When all you have to keep is strong, move along move along like I know you’ll do. And even when your hope is gone, move along move along just to make it through.”
That in a nutshell is the Boston Marathon.
Two hours after the first finisher of the marathon is when the largest wave of finishers – finish. Yesterday’s best time was 2 hours and 10 minutes run by Lelisa Desisa of Ethopia. The bombs went off exactly 2 hours later. Their targets were runners like runner 24420 and their families and friends. Their targets were runners in my running club, ordinary people who train for years to take a victory lap on Boylston Street, and their families and friends.
Kevin McNeil is a friend. He and his family are veterans of the Boston Marathon. His wife is an outstanding runner. His words are better than mine:
The spectators come to witness and celebrate the very best that humans can endeavor to achieve, this challenging of the self (often done in the name of charity or in the memory of the dearly departed); and they do it to provide the psychic energy that may be required for a lot of these runners to be able to finish. And to feed off that incredible strength of will in return. Ask any marathoner or attendee. Boston is different.
I don’t know who did this. I don’t know if Patriots Day was chosen for its symbolism or simply because the finish line provided the greatest concentration of human targets. But I do know this: on Patriots Day, this town simultaneously gives and receives the best that humanity has to offer, and no single madman can silence or defeat this inherent goodness that we are all privileged to share with one another. kevinmcneil.net
The reactions from my running friends echo Kevin’s words. Their resolve to run Boston has been strengthened. Ultimately it is about “giving and receiving the best that humanity has to offer”.