Area competitors weather the rain at recent Boston Marathon
It has often been said that sports mirrors life or sports is a microcosm of life.
Earlier this month was the 122nd running of the Boston Marathon. Boston is the oldest and most prestigious marathon in the world. This year, more than 30,000 people ran — including 7 from our area.
Boston, because of its age, history and size is the “granddaddy” of all marathons. It has become the “Holy Grail” of distance running. Not everyone can run Boston. You must qualify for it. This makes earning a spot, getting a race bib, a much coveted prize.
A person qualifies by running a previous marathon under a standard for their age group. Earning a qualifying spot has become a “stamp of approval” that you are one of the best runners for your age.
Even in a sport that is as benign as running, there is controversy. A website has been established called Marathon Investigations. Its purpose is to find, expose and root out people who cheat. The prime target of this cheating is to get a Boston Marathon race bib.
It is a sad commentary that some people will lie, cheat and steal. This cheating takes 3 basic forms. Some people devise elaborate ways to cut a course short. Others swap their bibs with a faster runner.
Some people get paid to wear multiple timing chips and are called “bib mules.” My first instinct was that this cheating was just on them. That they are just cheating themselves.
I actually felt sorry for them, that they craved such false recognition. Marathon Investigations pointed out that for every cheater, someone who did the work and earned a spot gets bumped out of the race.
Looking deeper into the numbers, you can see that the cheaters are a minuscule few. The overwhelming majority of people earn their way into the race. In this age of cynicism, the Boston Marathon shows that the vast majority of us do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.
This years Boston Marathon was run, in what many said, was the worst conditions ever. Temperatures were in the 30’s, with pouring rain and an energy sapping 2540 mph headwind. The men’s and women’s winning times were the slowest since the race went professional in 1987.
Even with $830,000 in prize money on the line, 23 elite runners dropped out of the race. It
was gratifying to see Desiree Linden become the first American woman to win the race in 33 years. In 2011, Linden finished second by a mere 2 seconds. She ran on our 2016 Olympic team and has a personal best time of 2:21:52.
However, she has always been overshadowed by a bigger name, more ballyhooed athlete. Early in the race, she said she didn’t think she would finish. She stopped at one point to help teammate Shalane Flanagan. Linden didn’t give in, she stayed the course and got stronger as the race went on.
Her winning time of 2:39:55 is testament to how brutal the conditions were. Her victory must have felt like redemption for her heartbreaking loss in 2011.
Yuki Kawauchi of Japan won the men’s race in 2:15:58. He became Japan’s first winner in 30 years. Marathoners are big sports celebrities in Japan and his victory will reignite that country’s passion for the sport.
Our local marathoners were not racing for prize money or fame. They proved to be tougher than those “elites” who dropped out. They had worked hard, very hard to earn their place in the race and they were not going to let conditions defeat them.
Dennis Moore from New Paltz (4:44:44) said “it took me six marathons to finally reach a time fast enough to be admitted into Boston. Conditions were the worst, but I persevered. I had trained for three years and quitting was not an option. At 71, I’m not likely to get many more chances.”
Bob Carey of Kingston (3:46:48) related “that it felt like we were running uphill all day.” He noted that when the crowds learned that an American woman had won, they erupted and the energy carried everyone along.
Rachel Meyers of Saugerties (3:20:21) said “it was the worst conditions I ever ran in but Boston is the greatest marathon in the world.”
Doug Needham of Kingston (3:26:29) wants to give credit to the local runners and running clubs who encouraged him to run in every weather condition conceivable. He believes it was that training that led to his great race.
Farrier Gathen of Kingston ran 3:38:57 and right with her was Denise Iannizotto of Lake Katrine in 3:38:58. Dave Roberts of Stone Ridge ran 3:42:22. Meyers, Needham, Gathen, Iannizotto and Carey all ran so well they qualified for the 123rd running of Boston in 2019.
Ray’s Run today
You still have time to participate in the 24th Rays’ Run. The 4-mile run and 2-mile walk will go off from Dietz Stadium today at 12:30 p.m. Day of registration begins at 11 aam. There are free children’s races at 1:15 p.m.
Looking ahead
Weekends can be busy for many families. Thursday, May 3 there will be the Huskies 5k Challenge on the Rail Trail in Highland. This early evening race will go off at 5:30pm and is a fundraiser for the Highland Middle School PTA. Details can be found at https://huskies5k.wordpress.com
On Sunday, May 6 will be the 4th Boy Scout Troop 8 1-mile, 5k and 10k Run for the Hills races in Sawkill. This event raises money for the Troop’s activities and serves as a project the scouts work on.
The race is open to everyone and will be the 2nd race in the Onteora Runners Club Grand Prix series. More information can be found in the Daily Freeman race calendar.
Calendar, results
Race directors, please submit information for the race calendar to sports@freemanonline.com. Information should be in the form of a concise email with important details highlighted and included in the body of the email. No race flyer PDFs.
Race results should be submitted directly to me at ssrun54@aol.com.