Boston Marathon Recap
To say that it was hot for yesterday's Boston Marathon would be an understatement. To say that I'm proud of our team for toughing it out despite the conditions would also be an understatement. Late last week the forecast started looking bad, but they were still "just" calling for temps in the 60's at the start, and high 70's or low 80's my early afternoon. At that point it still seemed manageable, and runners hoped to put together a fast race. By the time the race rolled around, temps were well into the 70's at the start, even worse for the second and third waves, and hit the 80's early on. At that point it became clear that the standards by which the race would be judged were very different than other years. For racers who had trained diligently through the winter, the idea of resetting their goals, and maintaining their focus was frustrating, but necessary. The BAA was kind enough to offer a deferral option for those who wanted to race next year instead, but apparently no more than a few hundred runners opted for that. Most changed their game plan and got to work.
Though the numbers aren't stellar by normal standards, everyone who raced yesterday deserves tremendous respect for toughing it out. On a day where elites were dropping out, and many ended up in the medical tent, yesterday was not a day for runners to worry about PR's. Years from now they'll forget about "personal worst" and disappointing times, and they'll be able to boast of how they finished Boston "that crazy hot year."
Here are our team results:
- Rui Guimaraes 3:16:47
- Keila Merino 3:16:48
- Terence Gerchberg 3:16:48
- Kwok-Ming Cheng (WS) 3:25:25
- Jessica Purcell 3:40:25
- Sheila Monaghan 3:42:17
- Gary Berard 3:51:37
- Alisa Stern 3:58:36
- Adele Laboz 4:11:07
- Sara Bibi 4:11:07
- Katie Muladore 4:13:16
- Steven Zebrak 4:22:13
- Agnes Zbylut 4:29:07
- Deanna Culbreath (NYF) 4:41:21
If you were out there racing or spectating, please add your comments. Congratulations to all our team, staff, and friends who ran.