Boston Marathon 2010 - a view from the sidelines

Oh, the feeling is hard to describe. Seeing the final mile marker in a marathon. Running through the pain. Months of training finally paying off. The support of the cheering crowd. The anticipation of seeing loved ones at the finishing line. Imagine all that, and then throw in the additional fact that you are running the oldest and most famous marathon in the world. Amazing doesn't even come close.

So on this beautiful spring monday, Mrs Imd, C and I placed ourselves near the final stretch of the Boston Marathon today, somewhere between 25.2 and 25.5 miles. It was such a special feeling that we had to celebrate it by going for a morning run. Even if just to have the bragging rights of running under the same conditions as all these elite marathoners :P So fresh after our run along the Charles, we got a nice spot along Commonwealth Avenue, hot cups of coffee in had, ready to cheer on the runners.

First up were the wheelchair racers. The crowd broke out into loud cheers each time one of these superb athletes rolled past. It is an emotional experience to see the grit and determination of these marathoners as they went past our position, with about half a mile left to the finish.

The atmosphere reached a fever pitch when the first of the lead vehicles came into view, signaling the arrival of the elite women runners. It was screams and cheers all around as Teyba Erkesso sprinted past in amazing form, followed shortly by Tatyana Pushkareva. Teyba would go on to finish in fine form in 2:26:11.
The rest of the elite women continued to stream past, and soon, the next lead vehicle came into view. Robert Cheruiyot literally blazed past our spot, with a huge lead by marathon standards. He would later go on to demolish the Boston Marathon course record with a finishing time of 2:05:52. I was rooting for Ryan Hall, who chugged by steadily in 4th place, a position he would maintain right up to the finish.


By this time, clouds were beginning to fill the noon day sky, and the winds were a tad chilly. We decided to walk along Comm Ave towards the Citgo sign, cheering on the other runners as they passed along this historic stretch. This was my first time witnessing the Boston Marathon 'live' on location, and it definitely did not disappoint. The whole city transforms into marathon mode, and people all around are happily trading tales about running. As a budding marathoner, this was a very special and memorable experience, and something which I want to experience again, hopefully as a runner. Maybe. Someday.

:)
P.S. Congratulations to Imd who just completed Boston in a fantastic time of 3:16:56! And to my favourite Rochester Runner Blogger, Renee, who blazed Boston in 3:49:12 :D