Note – From Hopkinton to Copley Square…Ted Pernicano and I along with Taconic Road Runners had trained together and qualified for 2001 Boston. This was my first Boston!
It seems redundant to write about Boston. So much has been written about its rich tradition and history, about Roberta Gibb and the defining moment, about women of Wellesley and The heartbreak hill, about the CITGO sign and……Well, anyone who is a runner sooner or later learn about the history of Boston Marathon. The allure of this race is so great, that the journey from Hopkington to Copley Square is considered a pilgrimage. The distinction to participate as a qualifier is so high that virtually all marathons in USA attest to Boston’s preeminence in sport by quoting “Boston Qualifier” on their application forms.
Earlier forecast predicted chance of shower, but the race day started out as a sparkling, fresh and clean spring day. As the yellow school bus pulled away from Boston and away from those kind volunteers clad with warm smile and bright red jacket, the excitement started to build. Forty-five minutes later, those bright red jackets appeared again in Hopkinton and welcomed us to the Athlete’s village. Johnny “the elder” Kelly was on hand for inspiration. Recently named “Runner of the century” by Runner’s World magazine, Mr. Kelly spoke few words of wisdom; which if summed up in one sentence, it would mean something like what Doc Sheehan used to say: winning is never having to say I quit. Finally, the moment arrived. Runners were asked to fill the corrals at the starting line. This is the moment when one can easily get teary-eyed, an emotion more likely to be displayed at the finish line. But when one realizes how much hard work, sacrifices, disappointments as well as successes has finally led them to this particular starting line, emotions start to overflow. And as if this was not enough to pump the runners up, a fly-by salute from two F-16s during the Star Spangled Banner got the runners really fired up and ready to go.
Boston course goes through 8 different municipalities, unlike those popular one-city Marathons. Start is in Hopkinton. Here, the runners feel that the triumph is ahead. With a narrow start, it takes few miles before one can really start to move with some freedom. Soon, runners enter Ashland, the original starting point in 1897. At this point, belief is essential. Stick to the plan. Still long way to go. Next is Framingham. As the race now well in to 5 miles, runners have finally started to settle down within their desired pace, checking their watches, which most of them must have started after crossing the starting line. A wise move, since it took several minutes for most of us to reach the starting line. But thank heavens for Champion-Chip. Miles 9 to 11 goes through the town of Natick. As we passed Lake Cochituate, one runner wondered and commented if this was the lake where Tarzan Brown took a quick dive en route to an easy victory.
Next, a sign “Entering Wellesley” greets the runners. Everyone knows now what to expect. As we near the Wellesley College, the hum started to pick up in intensity, and suddenly became deafening sound. Although greeting runners with this high-pitched, non-stop ear-splitting screams is a long tradition, it has not made the official list of traditions published by the college, which include hoop-rolling and stepsinging. But official or not, these were genuine and heartfelt cheers for runners. And wait, there seems to be a new tradition taking roots. Besides cheering the runners on, the second thing on the “must do before graduation” list of Wellesley women is to be kissed by a runner. There were enough “kiss me” signs hoisted, and some runners were happy to oblige too! Runners are now closing on halfway mark of 13.1 miles. However, most of the runners do not find Wellesley too painful. Some even find strength to do few push-ups in front of this delirious crowd. But hey, most bachelor runners would not mind pausing here for a semester or two! California’s Josh Cox, the 14th overall finisher with looks of Brad Pitt took a temporary lead in the race at this point. Nobody is sure if this was a tactical move or just an adrenaline rush. Later in an interview, he said his buddies would never let him forget about this move for a long time. As runners leave Wellesley, they are reminded that the strength is within.
Next is city of Newton, famous for its hills, including heartbreak hill. At this point, runners must believe that fear is irrelevant. Crowd support here was tremendous, even larger than the previous towns. This really helps. A woman in front had this inscription on back of her T-shirt: “I may have the looks of an angel, but I run like Hell”. She was handling the hills very well. Hell’s Angel, I suppose. As runners crest the heartbreak hill, 20.5 miles are behind and most of the hard work is history. Or is it? After all, this is what runners have trained for. Those hill workouts during long winter months have finally paid off. Now runners enter Brookline and all seems downhill. Hope weakness caused by climbing those hills of Newton is only temporary. CITGO sign is getting larger and larger, but still elusive. Right before the sign, the Mass. Turnpike overpass looms ahead like an intimidating hill. If the previous hill was a heartbreak hill, this one certainly feels like a Heartcrusher hill, as it comes at an inopportune time in the race: mile 25. But now it’s show time for runners. Time to show their mental toughness. In plain English, just suck it up and get over it. Some runners now started to walk. But there was this young runner who caught everyone’s attention. Not because she was wearing this diamond stud on her nose, which was sparkling in the setting sun, but rather what she was accomplishing. She was targeting the walkers and encouraging them to start running. And she was doing darn good job of it too, as all those walkers now started to break into longer running strides. A Robin Hood among runners, I suppose.
Finally, Copley Square and the finish line banner are in sight. Yeah baby, Boston is forever! Upon crossing the finish line, medals are placed around runner’s neck by those kind volunteers in bright red jacket and warm smile. The Unicorn, symbol of B.A.A and Boston marathon adorns the medal. No one is certain why Unicorn was chosen, but in Chinese mythology, it represents that which is to be forever pursued but can never be captured. And I think that is so fitting for this Marathon, which has been in the past and will always in future be pursued by runners of all ages in their relentless pursuit of meeting the qualifying standards.
Reflections on Running & Life 