Boston Marathon Race REVIEW

(I swear on our family’s dead dog’s grave that my mom ran over in the minivan that this is my last post on Boston.  Swear!  But I wanted to do a complete race review.)

The 115th Boston Marathon was held on April 18th, 2011; it’s always held on a Monday unlike any other marathon.  There was a 5k race as well the day before.  The marathon costs $130.

As everyone knows, to get into Boston, you have to qualify and then register early.  The qualifications are changing for 2012 and you can find out about those here.

THE EXPO

The race expo was held at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center from Friday to Sunday and it was HUGE, probably the largest one I’ve been to.  I went late on Sunday afternoon, and it was still very busy, but some booths had already shut down like the larabar booth.

TIP: Go earlier in the weekend and be prepared to spend some time checking out all the exhibitors and even guest speakers.  It’s part of the whole experience so enjoy it!

There was a ton of great looking Boston products, from running tights to water bottles so bring some money and check out all the fun t shirts and other souvenirs.

PRE-RACE

It’s a point-to-point course so runners have to be bussed to the start at Hopkinton.  The busses lined up on Tremont Street in the Back Bay area which was right in front of our hotel.

There are 3 different starts, at 10am, 10:20 and 10:40 so you need to get on the correlating bus.  For my wave, we were encouraged to get on the 6:30-7am bus.  I arrived at 7 and there were really long lines: I waited 45 minutes to finally get on the bus.

The bus ride itself takes over an hour; this definitely surprised me!  I thought it’d take about 30 minutes (26 miles away, right?).

TIP: Make sure you’ve gone to the bathroom before you get on the bus; these are school busses which means no toilets.  Also, bring a magazine or book to read.

Once you arrive, you enter into the Athlete’s Village.  I thought it was a little chaotic and disorganized compared to the NYCM, but they had a great PA system playing music and announcing which wave needed to go where.

Although I didn’t grab anything, I think there was coffee, water, bagels and bananas offered.

The lines for the porta potties were ridiculously long even though there were tons of them.  I went out in the woods and behind a dumpster.  classy, sure.

TIP: Depending on how early you arrive, you might be in the Village for a couple hours or more so come prepared!  Bring TP, food, drinks, throwaway clothes because it was chilly and windy, a garbage bag to sit on, and maybe a phone to meet up with friends, etc.

I never use the bag drop, but it did look like there was a pretty decently organized bag drop system.

COURSE

Once your corral is called, you walk about .7 miles downhill to the start.  The actual start is also downhill for nearly a mile.  I remember being warned to NOT start too fast as many runners do.

The race starts out in Hopkinton and goes through a few small towns before really getting into Boston.  The whole course has rolling hills, but nothing bad.  It’s not flat, but Heartbreak is way overhyped.  There’s 3 hills and it is late in the race (around mile 20) so your legs are tired, but if you do any hill training, you’ll be fine.

On a side note, I thought the race posters in each town were fun to see…

I thought the first part of the race was a little boring, but the rest of it was scenically interesting and fun to run by.  You get to pass some gorgeous, old buildings, schools and areas.

COURSE SUPPORT

THE FANS ARE AWESOME.  All the spectators really make the race fun.  From the little kids who want to high five you, to the Wellesley girls screaming to all the families out barbequing on their lawns, it’s really fun to hear them.

TIP: Leave the ipod at home for this race and interact with the crowds.  Even better, have your name in big letters on your shirt so people cheer for you individually.  Most of all, have fun.  Slap some kids’ hands, kiss a Wellesley girl, take lots of pictures; enjoy the experience.

There was water and Gatorade stations about every mile, and although there were a lot of aid stations, almost all of them were crowded.  I had to slow down at every station and almost walk at a couple.

TIP: If you’re used to it, bring your own water bottle and save yourself the hassle of stopping at the stations.

Gels were handed out at mile 17; I would have thought there’d be another gel station on the course, but so many spectators were giving out food and drinks, that it wasn’t necessary, in my opinion.

I saw tons of oranges, popsicles, bananas, tiny cups of water, pretzels, licorice and Swedish fish being given out to the runners.

Along with the water stations, there were medic tents every couple miles; I grabbed some Vaseline from one because I was chafing pretty bad later on in the race.

POST-RACE

The finish is really fun because you head down Boylston and everyone is going wild cheering.  It feels like you’re in the Olympics or actually going to win the race.

After you cross the line, you’re given a Mylar heat blanket, your medal, and a plastic bag full of food goodies: a bag of chips, banana, green tea and a few other things.  I love when races put everything in a bag for you: it’s super efficient and fast.

SUMMARY

Boston is one of those once-in-a-lifetime races that if you have the chance to do, do it!  It’s a great experience, it can be a little overwhelming and a little too much “runnerish” at times, but the course isn’t that terribly tough and the crowds and spectators really make it fun.

TIPS

Go to Boston ready to soak in the whole experience.  Enjoy the expo, the city itself, the different offerings for runners, just enjoy it all… even Heartbreak Hill.

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