Boston Marathon

sk8board

Just dropping this discussion in - 8 weeks away next Monday. Looking fwd to it 🤞

any tips from former runners much appreciated?

im told that everything brought to Hopkinton will be left behind, so to keep a pair of retired runners, and the usual throwaways

Mitch Buchannon

I did it last year and it was great fun.

We flew in on Friday evening. I went to the expo on Saturday morning. I should have probably flown on Friday morning and gone to the expo that day if I’m honest. The expo was ok. Adidas have basically pushed out all other running brands so their running gear is the only stuff available there. They also had another small pop-up in Copley Square. There were lots of other stands like you’d expect, various marathons, memorabilia etc. Then there was odd ball stuff like gutter covers, hair curlers.

The vast majority of brands have started opening their own pop ups in the city. Mostly along Boylston and Newbury.

Have your entered the BAA 5K on Saturday morning ? If you haven’t, its already sold out so can forget about that.

Shakeout runs – Lots of brands and running influencers/youtubers etc have group runs on the Saturday and Sunday. Usually about 5k or so. I was at a Puma one on the Saturday and I went to the Rabbit/Kofuzi one on the Sunday. These runs are open to everyone so if you have someone with you not doing the marathon, they will still get the chance to go out and run in a fun group. Most will also have some food and refreshments (coffee, water & beer) after them. I had beer at 10am after the Kofuzi run. I was there for a good time and not to do a PB so I enjoyed myself. Lots of these shakeouts will have free swag if you want it. Puma had Boston Tech T-shirts, Rabbit/Kofuzi had track bags. Rabbit also did a free raffle with tshirts, hoodies etc after the run. I would encourage you to do at east one of the runs. Its good craic.

You are right about Hopkinton. You are given a small clear bag in your big clear drop off bag. The small bag is the only bag allowed on the bus to Hopkinton. I wore my vaporflys around my neck. It was raining that morning so I put a shower cap over each of the shoes to keep them dry. At the athletes village there is a massive tent where you will wait until you are called for your walk to the start line. Lots of toilets there.

The start was slow but It was great craic. There was a huge amount of support along the course. The Wesley girls were brilliant fun. I wore a singlet with Ireland on the front. The amount of extra support you get when everyone is shouting for YOU is fantastic. I must have high 5’d everyone along the route. People go on about the Newton hills. They aren’t that bad to be honest. I had to be told I had gone over the famous Heartbreak hill.

The crowd builds as you get to the city. It is amazing. Then you have the two famous turns…. Right on Hereford and Left on Boylston.

You won’t be able to hear yourself think. It’s a wall of noise. You put in the final kick and race the bule line down Boylston. Raise your hands as you cross the finish line of one of the best marathons in the world.

Do not pause your watch until you are through and across the line. The finish has so many cameras so you don’t want to be busy stopping your garmin when you could be smiling and you looking up !

There is an official marathon after party. It has been in Fenway the last few years but I believe its changing location this year. The BAA will have more info about that on their website and socials.

Have you been to Boston before ? It’s a lovely city for running and walking around. Plenty of things to see. Its not like New York though where there are “sights” to see, like empire state, statue of liberty, etc. Boston is more of a historical sights kinda city.

I’m very fortunate that I have been to Boston quite a few times and don't have to sight-see any more. I was even there 4 times in 2023 between work and the marathon.

Have a great time. It really is a fantastic event ! I might even try and do it again in 2025 or 2026.

Here is an aerial picture from Hopkinton. You can see the Boston skyline on the distance ! It really looks a long long way away ! 😄

marathon2022

Great summary Mitch,

When you land in Boston, the silver line is free into the city from under the airport. If you haven't booked your flights, try to get in early morning to afternoon landing in Boston so you can stay up till about 8 or 9pm and then restart your sleep pattern. Get up at 6 am every day prior to get used to it. If possible fly in Friday as you will be tempted to sight see this beautiful city, last year I did 35,000 steps a couple of day before the marathon including the expo, I paid for it race day :-(

Do a small shakeout early the day before and take in the Marathon finish line, I went down at 6am to an empty street, this was a memory. The other shakeouts are really fun, I did it with Seth De-moor and got to meet a few other famous youtubers, down by the river.

Try a Lobster roll, Eat in the North end, check out the Boston tea party museum.

The race itself- The bag drop is great, numbers on buses, couldn't be simpler. The weather in Boston is mad, We arrived in boston a few days before to 20°C sunny and blue sky and raced in 8°C, raining and windy. Wear as many layers as you can for after you arrive at Hopkinton, I was freezing in the tent. After that the race is just the best, try not to smile too much, you will get sore jaws :-) amazing, this bit is up to you.

Im so Jealous, hope you smash it.

Glencarraig

Just a tip for when in Hopkinton, if its wet bring old shoes, socks and talcum powder, your feet will thank you and it is so much easier to get dry socks onto damp feet using plenty of talc, oh and a big bin bag to sit on in the tents which manage to get quite damp if the weather is bad.

Trampas

I was thinking of doing Boston 2025 or 26. I’ve a time 11 minutes under my age category so I expect should be enough but seems times only last a year and no deferral which might put me off till 2026 as all going to plan I’d be faster this year in and get a better time. Is it worth the cost to do it?

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121765294#Comment_121765294

That's a fantastic post.

I may have to borrow some extra fingers to cross for 2025 after reading that.

I have a Q time but hoping enough of a buffer (4:13).

PaulieC

Maybe a dumb question but why would you carry your shoes and not just wear them?

marathon2022

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821670#Comment_121821670

I'm guessing it's the rain/weather or not wanting to wear super shoes waiting to race. Between arriving to the bag drop buses and starting in Hopkinton it's about 3 hours of wait, bus, wait.

PaulieC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121822398#Comment_121822398

Sounds like a good excuse for buying some new shoes after the marathon 😀

sk8board

I’m planning to take an old pair of Speeds with me and toss them with everything else in Hopkinton. Also taking my porridge in a cheap decathlon caddy, and old clothes, weather depending

sk8board

hope everyone’s training is going well?

Q - am I right to say that buying a 7day travel pass at the airport is the best way to get around? I’m there 5 days, and staying on the blue line from the airport.

I’m hoping to get to the expo on Friday immediately after arriving - collect the bib, jacket and gone again :)

Thanks

marathon2022

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951535#Comment_121951535

Yes, get the 7 day Charlie card, the silver line is free from the airport to the city but after that the card is very useful. For the convention center I would recommend getting off at Boston common and walking boylston, the buzz is deadly. Thousand of happy faces coming and going, bags on back.

sk8board

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121952621#Comment_121952621

thanks for that - another Q:

Do the corrals get started individually, or does the whole wave of 9 corrals start in one go? I.e do they hold each corral or not

marathon2022

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953689#Comment_121953689

Released a few seconds apart . Being at the front of the coral won't help as the tail of the other is right in front when released, the first 5 miles last year were jammed, very very hard to make a move. Awesome atmosphere though, rain and wind couldn't dampen the spirits

sk8board

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121954412#Comment_121954412

very useful to know thanks.

I’m wave 2, corral 2

Glencarraig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121956196#Comment_121956196

You need to be really strict with yourself pacing wise for the first 5 or 6 miles, it's very deceptive, there are some rollercoaster sections early on and you think the hilly bits might keep you in check but it's net downhill. You see loads of runners almost cooked before the right turn at the firestation at 17 miles……thats when the real fun starts.

PaulieC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121956196#Comment_121956196

how do you have this corral information already?

sk8board

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121957542#Comment_121957542

Your race number and wave info are int he athlete log-in place

PaulieC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121962701#Comment_121962701

thanks! Got mine now

Lazare

For anyone looking to qualify for 2025 this is a great post...

https://joesgottarun.medium.com/an-attempt-to-predict-the-cutoff-time-for-the-2025-boston-marathon-787701712257

sk8board

Dare I ask, any early weather watchers out there?

MrMacPhisto

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121980226#Comment_121980226

SW wind of around 15kmph, 9 degrees at 10am, no more than 12 degrees at 1pm, dry and pretty overcast. Enjoy 😎

sk8board

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121981232#Comment_121981232

I’ll take that tailwind thanks very much - apparently they had 8cm of snow in hopkinton yesterday 😂

sk8board

jacket Q: Can it be bought online internationally after the race, or is it expo-only for international runners?

Thanks

PaulieC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121990508#Comment_121990508

looks like only the US Adidas online store has it. Probably best to pick one up there to avoid p&p and duty fees.

PaulieC

I know it's a week away by Yr is forecasting 25C on Monday afternoon in Boston. That definitely did not figure in my training plan 😬

sk8board

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121991687#Comment_121991687

It’s still all over the place - other places forecasting 15c in Hopkinton and a 19mph tailwind - I’ll probably decide before the flight to pack for all weathers or not :)

sk8board

question: How long is the queue to get on the bus in the morning? Wave 2 here.

PaulieC

I am wave 2 corral 5 and my bus time is 7:30 for a 10:25 start time. The bus journey is about 45 minutes. A friend who did it last year said it was about 20 minutes bus allocation and queue time. Personally, the less time spent waiting around at the start the better, so i am going to head over for the bus at 7:30. Three hours is plenty to queue, board, drive, get off, walk, queue again

sk8board

forecast seems to be holding steady at: 10-15kmph westerly tailwind, 60% humidity, 8c dew point, max temp 18

Pretty ideal if that holds up 🤞🤞

PaulieC

Boston is hopping with marathon fever. It would be great if Dublin could embrace the marathon event like they do here, but we get owen keegan trying to get the thing moved so people aren't inconvenienced one day a year

marathon2022

Best of luck today guys, enjoy every minute

Lazare

Looking forward to the reports, hope you all had a good day.

sk8board

A truly amazing weekend, I wouldn’t swap it for anything - Boston loves this race and the runners and it shows everywhere!

unfortunately the forecast changed a lot overnight. The wind died to a trickle and the start line temp was announced as 63F/18c and it felt every bit of it. With a tiny tailwind it made the RealFeel even hotter. By all accounts too hot for anyone who hasn’t ‘winter’ trained in a hot climate, and with 25,500 finishers of the 30,000 bibs it strikes me as a lot of dnf’s?

I got to halfway on plan, but knew what was going to play out since the very first km; dug in for the next 10k through the Newton hills, down the other side, and then ran/walked the final 5k and enjoyed it. It was total zombieland and plenty folks in a bad way/collapsing on the 600m to the finish line.

Literally everyone I was tracking had a similar experience in some way or other, and the medical tents were busy.

but to come back to the start, it’s the best overall race experience I’ve ever had, by a country mile.

pgmcpq

My fifth Boston ( I DNFed 2018 so 5 1/2 🤨 and I know Boston weather is … difficult). Love this race. No city embraces the race like Boston and everyone here knows the score.

Still a tough day. Heat was tough. It felt much warmer in Hopkinton than in Boston. After a year of medical adventures I was in wave 3 for the first time. The 25 minutes later start and the slower pace of my corral mates left me more than a minute down after the first two miles even allowing for a planned easy start.

Got down to planned pace by mile 4, but I knew the heat was going to take a toll eventually. I was torn between running the tangents or heading for the occasional shade. By mile 10 I was adjusting the goal from a shot at 3:10 to closer to 3:20 with an eye on wave 2 next year. The first three hills were ok but I knew HR was too high. Lost almost a minute on Heartbreak and while I recovered on the downhill I was optimistic. I held it together to get past my cheering section at the 24 mile marker but the wheels finally came off shortly after. HR was ok but the legs were shot. Post the race I realized that I was cramping but did not identify this as a problem at the time. Would a cramp tablet have saved me ? Very hard to make good improv decisions after mile 20 !

No one I know (14 friends/clubmates) hit their goals - missing by 7 minutes to more than an hour 😳).

Still a safe BQ ( I’m old) so as I told someone I’ll keep doing Boston until I get it right.

Hello to the two women from Drogheda I talked to the way to the start line, if by any chance they read this !

Berlin is next. Hope for better weather.

marathon2022

Those reports have me itching for another crack at it, fair play lads.

sk8board

just looking through the results for Irish citizens and a 20min positive split is about the order of the day for us, plenty lads with a HM split times and then dnf.

https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/results/search-results

It’s like training in the Irish winter and then racing the next day on the hottest Irish summers morning (18c at 10am).
in retrospect it was never going to happen.

The weather here on Sat/Sun was quite cold, we were coming back to the hotel Sat evening and it was freezing; teeth clattering from the wind. And this was 36hrs later 😂

Nothing you can do.

PaulieC

I don't even want to see mine but 20 minutes sounds about right

event

Sounds a bit like Cork last year. As in weather caught loads of people out and there was carnage on the day.

Well done to ye all :)

partyguinness

Jaysus lads. Fantastic weekend.

Article online says that nearly 9% of runners ended up getting medical attention due to heat. The forecasters got it wrong - it was closer to 25 degrees with no shelter.

I was holding my pace nice and steady and super disciplined from the get go but realised at the 10 mile mark that my legs were dead. It was sapping the life out them without being able to do much about it. Maintaining my normal MP would have been no problem at any other flat major but those inclines and declines just took it out of me and then throw in the intense sun on the back. When I saw runners in the red wave ahead of me slowing down/walking/on the ground, it just became a survival exercise. Not a day for heroics. It was like being chucked into a washing machine for 3 hours.

A good 20 mins off a PR 17 mins positive split.

I want to go back. I'd almost go back just to watch. Going to target another BQ end of summer to beat the cut off.

partyguinness

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122024791#Comment_122024791

I ran Berlin in 2021 which was probably hotter BUT there was plenty of shade with the buildings and made no difference. Plus you are coming off a summer training block.

sk8board

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122038047#Comment_122038047

it was exactly the same for me with Berlin. Huge PB in the heat coming off summer training incl 2 weeks in Spain where I kept up the training.

This was just different, and you knew it at the start line. Lesson learned!

God it was some weekend though 😂

sk8board

Some pretty huge numbers, in particular a near 4% dnf rate (1-1.5% is normal), and over 11% of all runners needing a medical tent (2974/26596).

Also, to put that ‘1,686 finish line medical tent encounters’ into some perspective, that’s one every 9 seconds for 4.5hrs 😳, and that’s only the people they brought to a tent, not all the folks stumbling at the finish area, got back on their feet and moved along

We escaped relatively unscathed I think, and still had a great weekend

pgmcpq

Talking to a few guys and reading post race comments it’s clear that the guys from the southern hemisphere seemed to have fewer problems. I live in the US near Philadelphia were we’ve had a cold and wet spring. No doubt being better acclimated would have helped.

That being said, I don’t remember running well in anything above 60. I also was running from wave 3.

I was shooting for ~3:10 came in 3:23 after. I have 14 friends on my tracker - all from the same area so have had the same weather, All missed their goals by 6 minutes to maybe 40. All reported cramping as the issue.

marathon2022

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122044752#Comment_122044752

The course is the main factor. Boston is fvcking hard, even the downhill isn't downhill. It's undulating and when the newton hills kick in at 16 miles most people are already running on smashed quads. I spoke to loads of people last year when it was cold wet and windy headon all the way, weather was also a factor but it's the course that beats most.