We set off for Boston on Friday morning along with numerous other runners, all identifiable in their Boston Marathon jackets. Kurt ran Boston for the first time in 2006 not long after we met. Back then it was possible to run a qualifying time at our local marathon in Austin in February then sign up to run Boston just two months later. Given the increased interest and demand to run Boston, this is no longer the case with registration limited to the top time qualifiers in each age group when registration opens in September the year prior to the race. This will be Kurt’s fourth time to run Boston; each time since his first has been at my urging (2014, the year after the bombing; 2021, the one and only time that the race was held in the Fall due to the pandemic). And, this year? Well, I simply wanted to ride his coattails so that I could enjoy another runner Christmas, which included the opportunity to see the GOAT, Eliud Kipchoge, run in person.
Upon arrival in the early afternoon, we quickly grabbed lunch on our way to the Hyatt Regency downtown where we quickly dropped off our bags so that we could head to our first event. By the time that we got to the Brooks Hyperion House on Newbury Street, there was already a packed house for a live recording of top women’s marathoners Des Linden & Kara Goucher’s new podcast, “Nobody Asked Us.”
Given the crowd, we opted to leave a few minutes before the event ended so that we could walk over to Tracksmith to pick up Kurt’s Hare A.C. reserved swag bag (and, do some quick shopping, of course). Then, in an attempt to minimize our trips back over to this area on the next day, we decided to go ahead and pick up Kurt’s race packet from the Expo before they closed. We didn’t have much time to peruse the Expo as a result, but it was nice to check this item off our to-do list for the rest of the weekend.
In a “what a small world” moment, I happened to run into David Yim, a runner who had just flown in from London and who moderates an informative Facebook group for participants running the London Marathon. His tips have been quite helpful in terms of logistics for London, so it was a treat to meet him in person and thank him for his time and efforts with the group.
Then, we were off to our next stop: Fenway Park for the Angels at Red Sox game. It was my first time to visit the famous baseball stadium; to see the Green Monster and to experience the crowd singing “Sweet Caroline” during the 8th inning. And, as a surprise for Runner Christmas, retired pro marathoner and 2014 Boston Marathon winner, Meb Keflezighi, threw out the first pitch.
Much to Kurt’s chagrin, we ended up walking all the way back to the hotel after the game ended. However, it afforded us the opportunity to get some great photos at the marathon finish line without the usual crowds.
Since we arrived on Friday instead of Saturday this year, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to run the B.A.A. 5k on Saturday morning. I was supposed to use it as part of my long run for the weekend, but I didn’t want to deal with the timing and logistics of adding on miles pre and post-race. So, it was simply a 5k fun run on what might be one of the best courses around. I was able to run the last mile of the Boston Marathon course (without have to run the preceding 25 miles!) and make the two most famous turns in marathoning: Right On Hereford, Left On Boylston. I ran a perfectly paced last mile at marathon pace with a smile all the way down Boylston through the marathon finish line back to the Boston Common where my race started and finished.
In an effort to stay off our feet after yesterday’s mileage, we grabbed lunch by the hotel and then relaxed until it was time to venture out to FanFest at Copley Square Park in the mid-afternoon. It was a special opportunity to hear from the man himself, Kipchoge.
There were some additional panels with the pros that I was interested in sticking around for, but I also knew that we both needed to rest and stay off our feet. So, we headed back to the hotel and did just that until walking over to the North End to meet Chris, Lauren, and Sydney for dinner at Bencotto. It was great to catch up with them since Chris and Lauren had moved back to the Northeast from Austin a couple of years ago.
On Sunday, we both opted to sleep in and skip all of the morning shake-out runs and panels that I had been interested in attending – Kurt needed to rest his sore Achilles and I needed to keep my energy levels in check in advance of my own marathon the following weekend. I went for my “long” run of 8 miles in the late afternoon on a route that Sydney had recommended from our hotel to Castle Island through the neighborhood of South Boston. The planes were flying in low right overhead on the way to landing at Logan. It was nice to mix it up with something other than running along the Charles River Esplanade. After I got back, we had an early pasta dinner at Grotto located on the back side of Beacon Hill.
Marathon Monday! We got up early on race morning, and I walked Kurt over to the bus loading area at Boston Common. I was nervous saying goodbye to him, as I knew that he was nursing an injury going into the race. Neither of us knew how his race would unfold, but we simply hoped for the best and he assured me that he would stop if necessary to avoid a major injury.
With him on his way to the race start in Hopkinton, there was nothing left for me to do other than get my own miles done for the day. I soaked up some of the pre-race energy by running over to the intersection of Hereford and Boylston then on to the famous Citgo sign that marks one mile to go for the marathon. The police presence was intense, as they were gathering throughout the course in preparation for the day ahead.
After showering back at the hotel, I quickly made my way onto the streets again because I was determined to get on Boylston early enough to ensure that I had a spot to see Kipchoge run by at the finish of the race. This turned out to be more challenging than expected because I had to navigate my way through all of the police barriers and street closures by eventually going through the inside of the Prudential Center, passing through a security checkpoint to exit onto Boylston itself. With that stress behind me, I found myself with a primo spot against the barrier across from the mile 26 sign. And, then I settled in for a long wait…in the rain.
I didn’t really have access to updates on live coverage of the pros during the race aside from occasional text messages from friends in Austin. I was able to track Kurt’s progress with the race app though. Even though he wasn’t having the race that he was fit for, I was just thankful that he was moving and making his way to the finish. When he finally ran by me, I could tell that his form was off. He was hobbling and looked to be hurting, so I took off as fast as I could to get to our meeting area. That’s when the rain really started to come down (as evidenced by his race picture right after crossing the finish line).
I was glad to be reunited with him and know that he was in one piece, albeit with an angry Achilles tendon. And, it turns out that it was his fastest Boston finish yet and he snagged another Boston Qualifier (spoiler alert: he’s not running again next year). We walked back to the hotel together where he was greeted with a congratulatory welcome back from the hotel employees.
After some brief recovery time at the hotel, we walked back to Newbury Street for all of the post-race goodies and celebrations, including a finisher’s scarf (and free booze) at Brooks Hyperion House, post-race portrait at Bandit Running pop-up, a finisher’s poster at Tracksmith, and cookies at Levain Bakery.
Then, it was time to celebrate with friends. We unexpectedly ran into G and Logan on Newbury and swapped stories from the race. Kurt also went out to meet up with his former training group, Team Mac, at The Merchant. But, I was exhausted – I jokingly told Kurt that I’m not sure who had the harder day – him running or me standing for hours to spectate.
We headed out separately on Tuesday morning: I ran to the Esplanade for my last workout before my race on Sunday while Kurt went to get his finisher’s medal engraved at the Prudential Center (Under Armour). Then, we walked over to Sam Adams Boston Taproom for one final Runner Christmas gift.
We enjoyed reading her new book on the plane en route to Boston (thanks to Jen for the pre-race gift!). Newly diagnosed with a thyroid condition myself a year ago, I thanked Des for sharing in her book about her struggles with thyroid issues.
After the book signing, we ate lunch at Faneuil Hall Marketplace then chilled at our hotel before heading back to the airport for our evening flight to London.
And, that’s a wrap on the 127th Boston Marathon!
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