Volunteers, you were just great...standing there on the hottest 70 degree day I'ver ever felt in your blue jackets so that the water stops were obvious from a quarter mile away...thanks. Finish line workers, you made me feel like I really was an athlete. It's nice to feel like you are ten feet tall at the same time that you are about to collapse. And especially to the guy at Boston College, just over the Newton Hills who was yelling, ' 5 miles to go...you have done this 100's of times in the last year,' thanks for giving me a focus for those finishing steps. Not the best time I have ever run but it gave me motivation to keep finding new goals. What more can you ask? I hope I have the privilege to do this many more times.

P.S. Congratulations Iowans...100% finish rate.

As I said, 5 stars are not enough to rate this marathon. I have run 4 others, including the Marine Corps Marathon, and thought that was incredible (it still is in my mind), but, I have never encountered anything like Boston. I can't tell you how moving the Wellesley girls are - a wall of positive screaming -- so moving it nearly brought tears to my eyes and is still doing it as I'm typing this.
The lying, supportive spectators ('it's just a few miles further keep on going you look great' - all this when you feel like crap and most likely looking like it too and 5 - 6 miles away) are unlike any I've yet encountered and I don't know if I will ever again see fans like this.

All in all, I guess it really deserves its recognition as the first and BEST of all the marathons. Just wish we didn't have to wait so long in the athlete's village.

Keep up the good work! FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE - do it if you can! In fact, I'd like to run this race again!!
I have to end it here since I really can't stop thinking about how great it was and I really can't put them into words, so you can see what an experience it was. So I hope my abbreviated comments can transmit the experience to you. AGAIN, A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE THAT RUNNERS SHOULD EXPERIENCE FOR THEMSELVES!!!!!!

Just completed my first Boston Marathon. I read and analyzed the detailed description of the course in the latest Runner's World Magazine just prior to the race. The weather was not as bad as it was last year, but the temp was in the 70?s. What made a difference for me was the fan support throughout the course: water, bananas, oranges, jelly beans, etc. I was able to replenish lost fluids anytime on the course, pour some water on my hat and keep on going. The start is slow because you are in the pack. You will move as fast as the pack. That perhaps helped from going out too fast in the beginning. So you may as well forget about PR. There is no race like the Boston Marathon on my short list of marathons (7). If you arrived at the finish line dehydrated or bonking, it was because you thought you were going to save precious seconds by not taking what was offered on the course.

The noon start is odd, but also allows you to have a second meal around 10am. The fans are just awesome. The course is wicked and at the end it is all about quads. You go too fast in the beginning you will give it all (and more) back on Newton Hills. My advice is: go with the flow in the beginning. And then see what you have left on the hills. I passed around 3,000 runners on the Newton Hills, although initially I was frustrated with the slow pace from the start. You definitely want to look good on Boylston St. at the finish line. I'm sure I'll be back next year, because in this marathon you feel treated like an elite runner throughout the course... and that's a great feeling!

Ok - so it took 14 marathons for me to finally make it to Boston. So I was pretty psyched to be there and the race didn?t disappoint. This is clearly the Super Bowl of running.

The expo was huge and a bit of a zoo. The lines for event/logo garb were huge. Folks were throwing money away like triathletes.

The pre-race bus thing is odd. Get up at dawn, get on a school bus, ride for what seem like an hour, and then hang out on a baseball field with 20,000 others. It was weird. The pre-race entertainment was pretty lame. Someone from the Sopranos got on stage and made a Woodstock reference which went over like a lead balloon. The hardest thing was to figure out what to eat for a noon race. I am more used to being done by noon not starting at noon. Finally close to noon I made my way to the start line and I finally got to start running.

I think the best description of the Boston Marathon is the KY Derby with humans instead of horses. It was quite the party on the side lines. The flashing at the biker bar and the young women of Wellesley were a plus in my book.

The downhill course is harder than you would think. The course starts out very rural and goes to suburban. By the time you get to the city of Boston you are not looking at scenery.

Post-race was slim but that is the style at bigger races these days. The finisher's medal was too small. I mean, it is Boston; give me a good-sized medal for Pete's sakes!!!

I am glad I have run it. Don?t know why folks do it more than once when there are so many other good races to run. But I am proud of my jacket!

What a wonderful realization of a dream. Qualifying for and running in the Boston is like no other event in the world. I will never play in the Superbowl, nor compete in an Olympics, but Boston makes you feel like you did just that.

The city has a special place in its heart for the runners, and the spectators make you feel special every mile of the way. Whether you are running a PR or struggling to finish, doesn't matter. The crowd and your fellow runners celebrate your victory with you all the way.

This race does require special prep and a solid race day plan, along with special attention to course management, or it will be brutal.

Go for it - the work required to get here is worth it, and the experience can't be beat.

I tried to get to Boston for many years. I finally qualified and was not disappointed. Everything was 5 stars. The organization was superb. My (right) ear actually hurt in Wellesley. How do those girls keep screaming for so long? The poster said it all. Some finish lines are more important than others. Nowhere is that more true than on Boylston Street in Boston. I hope to be back someday.

This race certainly lives up to its famous reputation! All I can say about Boston is, 'It's Boston.' If you are blessed with the opportunity to do it, you gotta do it.

For those of you going in without a clue (like me), here is a glimpse of my experience last weekend:

I flew in Saturday morning and out Tuesday afternoon - this was a perfect amount of time to see the city as well as prepare for and cool down from the race. My family and friends toured the Freedom Trail on Sunday, which was awesome. Freedom Run that morning is definitely worth doing and it's slow enough for anyone to join in the fun!

The buses start running out to Hopkinton at 6:30am on race day. I caught one about 7am and had plenty of time to relax and enjoy Runner's Village. Take a blanket, food is provided (bagels, PowerBars, drinks) as is live music - it was like a Ben Harper concert! Port-a-john lines can be 45 min., so calculate that into your chillaxing time. I layered my clothing and took the bare minimum with me. Don't forget the sunscreen and chapstick! We were herded into our corrals at 11am. Depending on your corral number (1-22) there can be a significant delay in crossing the start line, but no worries, the ChampionChip in your shoelaces marks your net time. I would strongly suggest registering online with the Athlete Tracking system so that friends can get text alerts as you pass checkpoints. Anyone with internet, a palm pilot, or phone can track your progess in real time as you run every 5K!

The run itself was such an experience - quarter of a million spectators cheering you on the entire way! It was crowded the entire 26.2 miles and I was within spitting distance of other runners every step of the way. This is why they say you shouldn't expect to run a fast Boston. It's simply impossible to cut loose and keep a steady pace. I started in the back third of the pack and finished in the top third, so the entire race I was ducking and dodging and weaving through runners!

The infamous Heartbreak Hill is actually a series of small hills between miles 16-21 and it's NOT nearly as bad as they say. Actually, this was my favorite part of the race because my quads were on fire after all the downhill running and it felt GREAT to run uphill for awhile! You should LOOK FORWARD to Heartbreak Hill!

The crowds only get crazier as you approach the finish - and that's the time to really kick it with everything you have left! Because I was running under pace through the crowds the whole time, I had fuel to burn at the end and it was a great way to finish, sprinting over the line. It was an amazing marathon - the fans, the frenzy, the hype, the scenery during the run, it was madness!

What would I have done differently if I knew then what I know now? Well, I would have trained running DOWNhill. I also would have trained during the hottest part of the day this spring. Being in Iowa, I did most of my running during the blisteringly cold winter and it was a real shock to the system running in the Boston heat! I would have lubed up like I saw other runners doing beforehand and during the race at vaseline stations. Let friends and family know they can track you online, and if they are in Boston, beware that public transit is packed to the max on race day, making it hard to get from one point to another during the run.

If you're running Boston 2006, plan on the 'legal high' they advertise and make the absolute most of this magical event!

My time was bad because of cramps in miles 19-26, but the people were wonderful. This race is everything they make it up to be. If you qualify, it is a must-do.

I ran this marathon in 1998 and 2000 for American Liver Foundation and raised iver $3,000 in the two years I ran it. I have worked and work in reserach for 14 years and it was amazing to have run through eight towns and have such loyal fans. I grew up in MA and yes we have loyal fans in everything. So much history along the way and lots of support. I always said I would run a marathon so 1998 and met Bill Rodgers that day.I did one and came back for my second one in 2000 and met Joan Benoit Sammualson. I love watching it every year. I have friends that participate in it. I am into trialthons now due to it is a little easier on the body. I highly recommend to anyone who wants to run a marathon you will have the biggest high ever when you hit Boylston Street and memories that will last a life time. KM

Reap what you sew. The Boston and burbs population have won my heart. My thanks and payback are the flag stickers I pass out to the children. Thanks for having us.