Everything everyone ever said about this and more. The heat made it SOOOO hard, but the spectators pulled us through with their enthusiasm (particularly the BC kids!!!), hoses, and ICE! Hats off to the BAA for their organization and the volunteers manning the water stops. Also, a shout out to the Natick and Newton Fire Departments for the misting tents....SOOO nice! Just an amazing race!

This was my first Boston Marathon, and it was a very good experience. My only disappointment that I struggled in the heat. Start time temperatures were in the 70s, and it got even warmer during the race.
Boston has top notch organization and an army of volunteers at their disposal. It is amazing how well Boston manages a race of this size. Just bring some patience. Thank you to all of the volunteers at the aid stations and unofficial aid stations.

This is a hard race to get into. I did it in 2011 and now it's even harder to qualify for so I doubt I will ever get in again. The organisation/crowds were superb. So is the city for that essential post race beer! I would not go to the pasta party again though as it was quite poor, with luke warm food and beer. It was held in what felt like a concrete bunker...quite strange. A great tick in the box all in all though.

After running this, I think I know what professional athletes feel. Unparalleled fan craziness and turnout along all 26.2 miles. The course is tremendous, varied and scenic with a 5 mile downhill finish. I beat my PR by 6 minutes and had gas left in the tank at the end. I was actually dissapointed the race was almost over at miles 23-26 vs. counting down the minutes in others.
The logistics of the race start can be tough, but taking a cab to the start avoids that. The expo was a mob scene. Everything else was so great, I decided to re-qualify and am running it this year again.

not my best time, wind was brutal, rain soaked, feet soaked w/n 5 minutes of start. bucket list = check

whole family cheered me on, wife pregant w/ first child running to greet me on heartbreak hill helped save the day!

:-)

We have all heard that this race has something special. Describing it with mere words can be challenging. Instead, I'll just offer a few poignant moments in time.

You feel that special something, "electricity" perhaps, as you stand in the middle of the crazy race expo getting a book signed, as you sit in on a Boston Legends panel and as you hear the race spoken of with reverence by other runners.

The course has the most intimate feel of any big-city race I've ever run. You can smell the grilled food, and see the families having a picnic in their front yard while the kids play in the inflatable jump-ups. I have never seen so many spectators offer such a wide variety of their own stuff: oranges, candy, water, tissues, paper towels, bananas and more. Quite simply, I felt an overwhelming feeling of caring and fealty.

My enduring gratitude for all of the amazing college students, children and running enthusiasts who made April 18th a day to remember for a lifetime.

The 2011 race was perfect. Even the weather was perfect for once. Also, the Boston Marathon has been called the "People's Olympics," so I commend the BAA for taking steps to keep it that way! Concerning the 2013 standards, I think the BAA was trying their best to be fair. Besides, the Boston Marathon has always been the race to run for a reason. Kudos to them.

I'm from Sweden, so I wore a Swedish shirt and planned to count the number of utterances of "Sweeeeden!" along the way, but soon gave up. The organization was top-notch, and the people along the roads were totally awesome! Being a bit smaller than London, New York and Berlin, three races I had run prior to Boston, the organizers don't have to plan for something like of a military operation, and the whole experience of Boston was more pleasant than any of those marathons mentioned above.This was THE marathon for me, and I hope to be back one day.

Aside from the history, Boston is all about the people and the cheering crowds. They are truly special, obviously very proud of their Boston Marathon, and they really make you feel an important part of 'their' famous marathon. The Newton Hills are harmless and totally manageable, with or without hill training. Simply follow the advice to not go out too fast on the downhills, and you'll breeze up the baby hills. The organization is faultless, absolutely exceptional. Good job Boston. Take a bow, and see you again soon. One tip to BAA: The start placement (wave/corral) for charity runners MUST be based on verified time - as for everyone else. They cannot be permitted to hamper the flow of faster runners by starting too far forward based on a projected time. Runner congestion and slow charity runners will cause runners to trip and fall. I saw it happen.

This was my 6th Boston and just as fun as the previous 5. The personal satisfaction of having hard work pay off never loses its luster. The event is well-organized and is classy throughout.

I am happy about the tightening of qualifying times because the crowd is too large; 27,000 people is way too many, especially considering all are experienced and the congestion doesn't ease. I have never seen so many bandits in my life. I actually saw one bandit grab a medal - how do you live with yourself doing that?

Thanks to Boston for giving me the honor of participating.