I ran Boston in 2003 and 2004 - great experience. But I have found that the unusual logistics of race day have produced challenges different than any other of the 15 marathons I have done. First, the early bus ride - try not to be too early, but too late is a zoo. I recommend 7 am. Second - where can you find breakfast at 6 am? Third, remember you will be sitting at Hopkinton for 3-4 hours. I recommend a throw-away air mattress, iPod, your own drink and, don't forget, some nutrition. You won't have your next meal until 6 pm or so, a long time from the elusive 6:30 am breakfast. It's all part of the challenge that will keep me coming back as long as I am able.

I have run six Bostons. Boston is my Olympics. Yes, the last two were HOT. But, the previous ones were cool if not cold!!

That is why the majority of us who have QUALIFIED for this marathon are not whining about the heat/cold/rain/wind. That is why you train for this marathon. You learn to DEAL with adverse conditions. To blame the race conditions because of the 'noon start' is nuts. Thank God for the noon start, because some years it was BONE CHILLING.

Yes, I was not enjoying myself, while heaving up my last waterstop in front of thousands of fans. But I knew that I HAD to finish because it was BOSTON!!! As Bill Rodger's says, "the marathon will humble you at times."

Please don't disparage this race. It is the only one that allows us 2nd/3rd level runners to feel privileged. Why? Because we qualified for it. Because of that/the history of the race and the fans, I will do my best to struggle back year after year and WILL NOT COMPLAIN. We runners deserve to be treated like elites at least sometime in our career. Boston provides that.

So if you cannot understand the wonder of Boston, then don't enter. Instead, watch us come back to our homes after the race and look at the sparkles in our eyes as we tell of the the wonderful fantasy that is Boston.

Even though the heat was a factor, it was still one of the coolest (not literally) marathons I've run. Granted I've only done 4 total, but still I had a good time running it. I'm hoping to do it again this year.

The course was challenging, but the crowd support was excellent. I love the fact that you run through towns and up to Boston. Oh, and not to mention the all-girl college. That was awesome! Girls screaming at the top of their lungs cheering for you. Nice.

If you're fast enough to qualify, this is one marathon you should definitely participate in. Boston has so much history. The people were pretty friendly and it was a nice place to visit.

I have run this race twice now. Two years ago it was warm at 70-plus degrees. Last year was HOT! I now have bragging rights as being a finisher of the 2nd hottest Boston Marathon on record.

The water hoses kept me cool enough to make it through, but of course made for soggy sneakers and blisters. Training all winter in upstate NY does not prepare one for a hot marathon. Ya gotta love a challenge!

I was impressed at how they improved the control at the starting corrals this time and kept the bandits out and sent them, rightfully, to the rear. Two years ago there were way to many that jumped the corral at the last minute. That took away from the starting position I earned!

Boston is the most painful marathon I have run, due to the 16 miles of predominantly downhill running taking a toll on your quads.

Walking the 4-mile Freedom Trail the day after followed by a ferry ride back to the center of Boston was fabulous and highly recommended as a way to see some great sites and help the recovery.

What an experience to run the Wellesley College 'scream tunnel' at Boston. What a tradition! What a race. I can't wait for my next Boston.

I can only find two things that I can make negative comments on. One was the heat of the day and at the finish the beverages were not iced down. Other than that the whole experience was worth the effort of qualifying for this event.

Although the course is challenging, it is rich with tradition. 108 years running. I give it high marks for this.

I lowered the orginization mark a notch due to the hot pop and water at the end of the event. I was so looking forward to having something cold to drink at the completion.

Spectators: What can I say? The best. They were awesome along the course. The sheer numbers along the course and their support was amazeing.

I had accidently dropped my bib number on the train after the race. A lady had picked it up and sent it to me in the mail with a little note. That's class. I will be stopping and visiting with her this year for her efforts.

The airline I flew home on allowed the Boston participants to board first as well.

I felt as if the city rose up to meet us, to welcome us, and to treat us as royalty while we were there. I am looking forward to returning to give it another run.

Hopefully Mother Nature will give us a break this year. We definitely paid our dues last year.

Like so many other runners I figured that running Boston would be one of the best marathon experiences that a runner could experience. Obviously qualifying for the race alone is a goal of some marathoners. For myself, I wanted to run this race since it is one with a rich history and carries a certain number of bragging rights.

There are some definite pros and cons to this race.

This a great place to visit and vaction. The city itself is exciting to be at during this time since the area is flooded with runners and excited citizens. This part of the experience is wonderful. Running the race gives you bragging rights among runners and friends... which can be great...

However, let me be one runner who thinks this race is grossly overrated. The expo in my opinion was weak and crowded. The course is very boring overall since you are running on a two-lane road for the greater majority of the course. (You don't really run too much in Boston itself.) The organization is so-so. After having run numerous Chicago Marathons I was disappointed.

If you want a race with it all - I suggest you visit my hometown and run Lasalle Bank's Chicago Marathon!

The realization that I was going to run in the Boston Marathon did not hit me until my plane made its final approach to Boston. I then began get nervous. But the man to sitting next to me on my flight began to put my nerves to ease. Once he knew that I was running on 'Monday', he immediately insisted on giving me a ride to my hostel. I hesitantly agreed to accept his offer. Once we were leaving the airport he told me that he would be missing his sons hockey game that evening in order to take me to the hostel. I felt like I was taken time away from him and his family. However I then realized that this guy from Boston felt priviliged to drive me, a Boston runner, to the hostel. On the way to the hostel he called all of his friends to tell them that he had a runner in his car. I began to feel like a celebrity and my legs had barely recuperated from the flight.

At the start of the race it didnt seem like there were many fans lining the course. However it didn't take long to hear the cheers of the crowds as I passed the towns and aid stations. But I dont think that any words can describe the emotion of the marathon. The course was a killer along with the heat. I began to cramp in the last six miles. I began to doubt that I could finish. However, as I stopped to walk and rub out cramps I began to listen to the cheer of one particular crowd of drunken college guys. They were cheering "2-2-5-6!" Hey, that's me! I then just smiled and turned away. But they insisted on chanting my number. Finally I felt that I could not let down the fans. I then began to jog again. As soon as I did, they went nuts and began cheering. Without them I may have not finished the race.

At the end of the race I cramped up and was dehydrated and had to be taken to the medical tent. The cramps were the worst pain I have ever felt. But as I lay in the medical tent screaming in pain I felt that by succumbing to the medical tent that I was letting down all of my supporters. I was angry. But the nurse that appeared to rub my salty, sweaty legs said something that I will never forget. She just looked down on me and said, 'You just finished the Boston Marathon.' That was when the emotion set in. I began to cry. I couldnt believe that I had finished the Boston. I was the 'fat kid' in school and now I had finished the Boston Marathon. And trust me, I will be there again.

Boston Marathon surely lives up to its prestigious name. It is one experience that serious runners would want to have, no matter what the race day temperature is.

EXPO at the World Trade Center was a good one. I got to try many new endurance products, saw my name on the Adidas? wall with all other 20,000 runners, got to meet some running legends in person; Greg Meyer - the last American won the Boston in 1983, the beauty track champion, Carrie Tollefson, and the world Ironman champion, Peter Reid. The fore-warning of hot weather made me aware the seriousness of the oncoming heat. Plenty of information for a third timer to learn.

On Monday, I got up really early to catch the bus due to my high bib #. Once at Hopkinton, I went into the big tent and sat down. The time went fast with social chats and trips to the food and port-a-john. Since it was warm, the line was never long.

Trip to the corrals was very crowded. You had to literally RUB shoulders all the way to get through. When the gun went off, we were not moving at all in our corral, it took 13 ½ min to past the start line. From then on, it was okay.

I felt a warm wind from behind at mile 1, something never happened to me before. I started to worry about finishing this race. Since I came a long way to Boston, of treacherous winter training, of injury. I decided to just do 1 mile at a time and to just to finish the race.

The temperature at start was 83F, the third hottest in Boston Marathon?s 108 year history. This had definitely made the race extremely tough; some dotted it as DEATH MARCH or RACE from Hell, etc... Later, some even vowed never to come back to BOSTON. This reminds me the Park City ski trip right after the winter Olympic 2002. The tour guide pointed out the race course as it was closed to skiers in general. Because during Olympic they poured water on the icy course nightly to make it extremely hazardous and that was the only way they could differentiate the highly competitive Olympic skiers at the race. Heat at 108th Boston Marathon maybe one small Mother Nature?s gesture in that respect. It is for the tough runners.

For the condition, water and Gatorade were very important and there were plenty stations available. I was glad that the B.A.A. volunteers factored the heat in for the aid station arrangements. It was HOT!

The heat finally did got to many runners. After finish, I saw at least two runners on the street with all fours in the air screaming with muscle cramp. I almost passed out few times myself. My running shorts liked most other runners, CAKED with SALT. IT's definitely a brutal race. Future Boston runners may want to prepare for hot weather as part of training.

Other than a better starting time, the organizers had made very good effort in getting so many water and aid stations available on race day and the overwhelming numbers of spectators, many of them even helped with liquid, food, and showers. Boston Marathon course was not as tough as I heard or read. Or it could be that the treacherous condition of heat and weather overshadowed the difficulties of the hilly course. I finished with a BQ' time, it was 11 minutes slower than my qualifying time.

I could not thank enough for the volunteers, local residents for their enthusiasm to cheer, to encourage and to provide water and food for all the runners. They helped to carry the runners through. Especially at last mile, their enthusiasm and caring way was unbelievable and non-precedent. I remembered at the last mile, a young man stretched out from fence looking into my eyes and shout ?C?MON YOU CAN DO IT! JUST ONE MORE TURN!? as if I were his family member. That was so touching! This is the spirit of Boston Marathon not just from the runners but from the LOCAL RESIDENTS as well!

In any case, I thought Boston Marathon was a good one and was well-run and supported, not overly tough. And it is the course some runners could have PR?d WITHOUT the HEAT.

Marathon photo was not very good. Unlike the finish photo at NYCM, the Boston finish line photo does not have good angle or time in the picture. And there were only a couple to choose from. However, I ordered the marathon DVD about three months after the race and was pleasantly surprised by the personalized Boston Marathon video.

This Boston Marathon surely is a very memorable one. I am glad that I did it and recommend to anyone wants to be part of this prestigeous race.

This is why we run - the people, the fellowship of others, the city, and the history.

I love the midday start, this allows you get up and have a pre-race meal and get ready, not having to get up at 4am to eat is nice for a change.

The heat is nice for me, but I do understand why some might not like it.

I have only run Boston once, but I think it is well worth the effort.