'twas the day before Boston...

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:01:05 GMT

...and all through the town, there was one heck of a lot of stirring! This town is definitely alive with energy from the marathon, which is not surprising given that there are 25,000 people running the race with many additional folks in support. I don't think I have seen so many slender people in one place in my life. People everywhere have Boston Marathon paraphernalia, especially the official jackets.

This morning was the US Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, and we're fortunate to be staying at a hotel right next to the finish line. We slept in a little, but watched as the runners did the multi-lap course. ESPN has a better write-up on the race than I could hope to do, so check it out if you're interested. To the right is Deena Kastor, the race favorite and eventual winner, striding well in the sun. She finished in 2:29:35.

Below is Magdalena Lewy Boulet, the second-place finisher who also led the race through the 23-mile mark before being passed by Kastor. She took an early lead and looked very strong throughout the race, passed near the finish by the heavily favored Kastor and finishing just 44 seconds behind.

Joan Benoit Samuelson set the American record for over 50 women's marathon with a blistering 2:49:08 time. She started in a yellow running cap, but somewhere along the way she replaced it with a Red Sox cap, commemorating the cap she wore when she won her first Boston Marathon in 1979. In the photo at right, she is about 150 yards from the finish, looking very determined and tough. I had heard through my father that she had a goal to go under 2:50 when 50 years old, which she clearly nailed. She averaged a 6:27/mile pace, which is just amazing for anyone let alone someone who is 50 years old. Way to go, Joanie!

After finishing the race, Deena Kastor wrapped herself in the colors and came out to took a bow from the crowd. We were lucky to be around 30 yards away when this happened, and I snapped the shot below of a very happy-looking Olympian. At the bottom of this page is a full montage of the bow she took for the loudly cheering crowd.

As for myself, I'm obviously looking forward to my own race tomorrow. I did a short and easy run today along the Charles River, and I felt only OK to be honest: some minor aches and pains. Hopefully I got the junk out of my system today so I am ready for a strong performance tomorrow!

Dave Treadwell's Space: Travel

'twas the day before Boston...