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May 20, 2024

Boston Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.6

Organization 4.6

Spectators 4.9

Number of comments: 418 [displaying comments 101 to 111]

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D. J. from Minnesota (4/21/2010) "First Boston - viewpoint from the 12th corral" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Boston has more commentary than any other marathon and a lot of what I read didn't hold true. This is what I found: lines for porta-potties (I used them 5 times - 3 in the village, 1 on the way to the corral, 1 at mile 15). I never waited for more than 12 minutes. I was in and out of the one on the course in 1 minute. I don't understand why everyone warns about hour-long wait times. Officials must have heard the complaints. Crowded course: I ran my first 3 miles at 8:15 pace, which was fine by me. I was there to enjoy the experience and didn't really care about my time. I just followed the herd, and there's little you can do about it. The course is boring - I gave it 4 stars because of the history. The crowd noise is fantastic. The hills are mostly hype - I didn't train for them, I didn't worry about them, and I ran over them. If you want to worry about them, then add a couple of minutes to your estimated time. Does everyone qualify in Nebraska? The finish area: I read lots of complaints about long walks, but I thought it was well organized overall. With dozens of runners crossing the line every minute, where did you think they would put them? There has to be a large area for runners to collect water, medal, blanket, drop bag, goody bag, and meet friends and family. This will likely be my first and last Boston. I trained hard to qualify and I'm proud to have done it. It's a great memory, but doing it once is enough for me. There are other marathons.
T. H. from California (4/21/2010) "Boston is the Best!" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2010 Boston was a remarkable event from start to finish. I ran my last Boston at the 100th in 1996 and the efforts to manage 25,000 runners are unmatched by any other U.S. marathon. The two-wave start is a great idea to spread out the runners on the course. The spectators really support the runners all the way to the finish. It is a dream come to true for any marathon runner to "Run Boston."
J. J. from Audubon, New Jersey (4/21/2010) "Gold Standard of Marathons" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race is so well-run that there are no cons about it. All of the volunteers are tremendous from the start all the way through the water stations and the finish area. I was a little wobbly walking through the finish area when a volunteer stepped in front of me, looked me right in the eyes and made sure I was okay after I told her I was. The course is not easy, but marathons aren't supposed to be. I will be back next year.
D. D. from New Jersey (4/21/2010) "The Best of the Best" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my 9th Boston. Having run over 35 marathons, I know that many things in an event as large as this can go wrong very quickly. This year was impeccable. It was run like a military maneuver: Ample port-a-johns, tons of water, plenty of food and giveaways, and lots of crowd support. And there is nothing like the Hopkinton to Boston crowds. And, of course the weather cooperated with perfect marathon running temps. There was one hitch with the Athlete Alert system going down. I'm sure AT&T (the sponsors) were quite upset about that; it didn't make them look good. The pre-race expo was great, but I miss the clothing bargains I used to find from the smaller vendors that were noticeably absent this year. I missed the pre-race pasta party, but I have long ago learned that you can't go wrong at any Italian restaurant in the north end for a pre-race meal! As big-city marathons go, Boston retains a certain atmosphere that is not found anywhere else.
J. W. from Chicago, IL (4/21/2010) "Much more than I even dreamed" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Can't say enough about how great the town is. I live in Chicago on the course, so I get to see or run or volunteer in a major every year. But this dwarfs the Chicago experience. Everyone in town understands what a marathon is really about and is incredibly supportive. The course is legendary (yes, it is tight, but you are with an experienced crowd, so it was manageable). It's just as tough as people say. The hills really wear you down, so start slowly. I'm very impressed by anyone who can re-qualify on-course - an impressive feat. The true point-to-point nature of this course is very interesting; as you drive out on the bus in the morning, it's shocking to think you have to run all the way back to town. If you can, run this race. It's well worth the experience.
D. G. from South Lyon, MI (4/21/2010) "Those Wellesley Girls Cost me a BQ!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I missed requalifying by a few seconds. If I had run the tangents instead of going to the outside and stopping for eight kisses, I would have made it! Fortunately, I already qualified for 2011 last fall.... I'll not restate what others have said about how great this race is; I'll just say that it's the best one that I've done - by far. I do have one small complaint for the BAA. Please make the charity/exempted runners prove their times, just like the rest of us. They should be lined up according to their best time over the past 18 months. If they haven't run one, then put them in the back. It is clear that many of them claim to be able to run a faster time than they are capable of (intentionally or not). This is a fair approach that would relieve congestion.
J. C. from Cleveland, Ohio (4/21/2010) "A great life experience" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 WOW! I have run three (3) other marathons, and nothing compares to this one. Fantastic crowd support from start to finish, and everyone is into the race 100%. Very well organized from start to finish. The blankets provided for the runners were a nice touch. The potato chips that were in the goody bags really helped get the body close to feeling normal. The course was definitely a great challenge. Will definitely come back!
T. C. from Indianapolis, Indiana (4/21/2010) "I'm part of history now!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had a wonderful experience running my first Boston. Wow!!! I know now why it has been continually the longest running marathon for 114th year. Thank you.
M. D. from San Antonio, Texas (4/20/2010) "Unbelievable Experience" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my 8th marathon (Richmond, Marine Corps, Nashville, Memphis, Hartford, Green Bay and San Antonio) and I would have to rate this one at the top. I will say it was expensive but overall it was worth it. For sure, this course was the most difficult I have run. Very hilly and the Newton Hills followed by the downhill made it very tough. I have never understood what all of the runners on MarathonGuide.com talked about when it came to crowd support until I ran Boston. The entire city is immersed in the race. There is no way you would walk during this race unless you were really hurting. The organization was impeccable. The buses out to Hopkinton worked well. The start area was great. I had only about a 5 - 10-minute wait for the portable "restroom." There was a short walk to the start but nothing inconvenient, and the start was flawless. The volunteers were all fantastic. Very helpful and supportive. The Boston Police were very friendly and readily gave directions when you were downtown. I stayed at the Hilton at Logan Airport. I got a one-week T pass for $15 bucks and was able to take the train where ever I needed/wanted to go. The Hilton was only $160 per night. The only negatives I experienced were the overcrowded expo. I got in Saturday night, so I was probably there on the worst day, but it was a complete zoo. The race is expensive - travel to, lodging and even the entry fee. The last negative was: who the heck picked the colors for the shirts and jackets? I saw some of the jackets from years past and wondered why they didn't have those for this year. Man, those things were gaudy. Overall, this was a super experience and I'll return every chance I get.
Julie Zehr from Ottawa, IL (4/20/2010) "Negative splits are the way to run into Boston!" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was very well organized - with the exception of a tight first 5 miles if you are farther back than the first 3 corrals in your wave. For my race, that ended up being a benefit for the second half of the race. Still, I felt like I was constantly dodging elbows and legs if I intended to pass anyone before mile 6. But overall, great fan support, nice and semi-challenging course, and an enjoyable experience! Thanks to all of the towns on the course that paved the way into Boston!

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