Boston is the place where legends are made. Three words every runner lives to say: “I finished Boston” My morning started out taking the subway to the common area to catch the bus to Hopkinton 26.2 miles away. I sat with a veteran marathoner who had run many marathons including Boston many times. He was a very knowledgeable fellow who seemed amused with my child like questions about our 26.2 miles journey we were about to embark on. As we arrived into Hopkinton a small woodsy town with tree’s lined up on both sides of the road. The sheer mass of 20,000 runners packed on the green field was astounding. They separated us into two waves. I met up with Dustin and Clyde and Logan fielding another st.george runner. Lines packed 100-200 deep on the porta potties. Seemed like the time went by real fast. 11:30 came and we walked at a steady pace to our starting positions. I wanted to stay with my group most of the 26.2 miles. The crowds massed on both sides of the street cheering us along every step of the way. They say over half million people lined the streets this day to cheer us down the road. Children lined up to get a simple high five from the runners. Sometime 7 to 10 deep. The people make you feel like a rock star. Runners who tagged their name on there arms would have their names chanted almost every passing step. I put my sons names on my arms. People on the left were yelling way to go Cody, and on the right way to go Jacob as I passed. The weather was perfect? Partly cloudy. The wind was blowing but it did not appear to affect the runners. In front of me was a mass of runners. Like a stampede of wild animals with no end or beginning in sight. I kept a 3-hour pace up to about the 15th mile. Then things started acting differently, my legs felt weak and the world around me started spinning. I had to slow down. But I managed to hold on to the finish. Boston is the ultimate marathon experience. Some day I will go back and run a better race. For now. I will cherish the memories and experience gained long after my running legs have give out. |