Race Coverage
Amazing Tradition & Energy...
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Thursday, 05 May 2011 03:00
(Photo - Darin with pacified daughter, Kaia--isn't she cute!--after the race.)
Wishing Boston Many More Birthdays!
By Darin Wieneke
The Boston Marathon celebrated its 115th birthday on April 18 in spectacular fashion. The spirit and energy of the day was towering from Hopkinton to Boylston Street. Mother Nature even blessed the historic day with pristine weather. With the ideal conditions, the race participants honored the race with record-breaking performances, including a new men
Numerous Minnesota athletes running in Boston also recorded outstanding performances. Jennifer Houck of Wright (2:34), Gerad Mead of St. Paul (2:36), Justin Deeg of Rochester (2:36), and Casey Miller of Baxter (2:39) were some of the top Minnesotans. The triathlon community was also well represented in Boston. I talked to a few triathletes before the race and posted a story regarding their outlook for the race. After the race, I chatted with David Swanson and Jared Smith to learn about their Boston experiences. This is what they had to day:
(Note: On a personal note, I also ran Boston and cannot say enough about the organization of the race and crowd support! Great job BAA! Also, I want to compliment my daughter (Photo above) for being an absolute delight on the trip, which included her first plane ride ever.)
DAVID SWANSON (D2) - (Photo L - David and a couple of extremely hypoxic guys)
MTN: How did the Boston Marathon go for you?
D2: Just about anything is easier for the second time, but not always better, The experience of my first Boston made the start of the second much more relaxed. My plan was to use Boston as a training run before an Ironman in June. According to plan, I would start in the back of Wave 1 and quickly drop off the back where there was lots of room to run. The start in Boston is the best seeded and most orderly marathon start I have experienced. They have had a lot of practice. Lessons observed from the start:
- Don't even think about the bushes on private property next to the start as an option. The police will DQ runners who break that rule.
- Stay warm and rest the legs. A private club bus with lots of Minnesotans was a great place to hang and chat.
- The F-15 flyover is history. Defense budget cuts?
- The first 5 miles are downhill, but back off the pace so the quads stay fresh.
I ran on plan, at a pace 10 minutes slower than my Boston 2009 pace. I had a nice open spot between Wave 1 ahead of me and Wave 2 behind. Chatted with a Marine from San Diego who was running with the flag at my pace. The crowd responded to him with a lot of cheers. Met a mom 5 months post partum who pulled it together to train for the race. The middle of the pack is much more social than the front.
About mile 15 all the chronic injuries flared up so I moved to a slower pace and walked the water stops. I came in pretty much on target and enjoyed the once in a century 15 m.p.h. tailwind the whole way. The crowd is amazing especially at the colleges. It's as loud as the Metrodome (less) stadium in the last quarter mile.
MTN: What was your favorite part of the marathon?
D2: Favorite part? The crowd is my favorite part. As for the course, it's the top of Heartbreak Hill. It's really not so devastating a hill, but the top is the last significant hill before the finish about 6 miles away. The crowd at Boston College is there. The gothic chapel at BC is just on the right like some symbol of salvation and the pace picks up. It feels like a race at that point and everyone is breathing harder and there is no chatting in the middle of the pack.
MTN: What was your favorite non-marathon experience in Boston?
D2: Just to be back in Beantown was great. The Knicks and the Canadiens (who kicked the Bruins in the first two games) were in my hotel . The Knicks are huge men! I looked like a preschooler next to them. Favorite unplanned event was front row center at the Blue Man group. When the usher approaches you before the show and asked you to come backstage for a bit, you know it's not going to be a passive experience. Well, that's why we have washing machines . I got a nice iphone photo with one of the Blue Guys.
MTN: How did the Boston Marathon go for you?
JS: It went as well as it could have, unfortunately I came down with a pretty wicked sinus cold Saturday night and really felt it all day Sunday which prompted some adjustments to my race plan. Either way it was an amazing race and it all started with the energy and excitement at the expo on Saturday. It felt pretty cool walking among some of marathon's fittest, let alone to be included with such a group of people is incredible!
Overall, the race was fun and I was able to understand that the course really is tougher than you'd think . I'll have to say that the crowd support along the course was truly unique and something that can't be matched, from the startline in Hopkinton, to the ladies of Wellsley and finally onto packed streets of Boston, the entire experience was quite memorable! The first half I ran conservatively per my plan, healthy or stuck with a sinus cold, and was glad I did as the downhill nature of the first half was quite taxing on the quads and had I gone out too fast I could have been one of the many I passed between miles 16-21. The notorious Newton hills and Heartbreak Hill were annoying if anything, I was expecting steeper climbs but in all honesty they were just annoying rollers especially with the 15+ miles on your legs. Once over Heartbreak I discovered a little too late that the backside rolling into Boston can be just as tough on the quads as the first 10 miles of the race and went out a little too fast. That said, the last 5k was a little bit more work than I wanted feeling as I did. All pain, sickness and race goals aside when I reached Boylston and with the blue banner of glory a.k.a. the finish line in my sights and the deafening sound of the crowd I ran that last half mile proud as hell to consider myself apart of a highly sought after group of individuals and a Boston Marathon finisher!
MTN: What was your favorite part of the marathon?
JS: Can I say everything?! There were so many elements to this race that I thoroughly enjoyed that its tough to pick just one, but if I had to I would say that the crowd/fan support was incredible!! Thinking back on it, quite fondly mind you, I don't think I can recall a section of the course, aside from a few of the woody areas coming out of Hopkinton, that there wasn't a crowd of Bostonians with outpouring support and energy.
MTN: What was your favorite non-marathon experience in Boston?
JS: Another tough one Darin, but just being in the city itself, with its history, unique areas throughout the city and I can't forget to mention the food! Boston is an great city and one that I hope to visit again soon especially to run this race again!
