Sunday April 19th, 2009, trains, planes, and automobiles. We left the hotel in Washington D.C. at 7:30 AM took the metro (DC subway system) to Regan National Airport. USAIR upgraded all marathon runners to first class which was nice. Once in Boston we took the T (Boston subway system) to Haynes Convention Center. This is where all the runners had to check in for the next day’s race. We met up with an old friend Scott Evans who was working the race. At around 3 o’clock we found Jen a friend that is also running the Marathon Jen’s parents were giving us a ride to our hotel. Monday morning, Patriots day, what a great day for a marathon running 26.2 miles, I am glad Margarite is running and not I, the temp 50 degrees with slight cloud cover and no rain, perfect running weather.
The plan was to see Margarite at mile 17 replenish her water then meet again at mile 22 and push her (try to keep up with her) to the finish. Yes after 22 mile of Margarite running I can then maybe keep up with her.
The race and plan was perfect except from mile 22 to the finish line, there was no way to get off the course so I was forced to cross the finish line which is real bad running etiquette, Margarite ran a 3 hour 30 minute marathon, not her best but very good and she had fun. She was 59th for her age group.
The run from mile 22 to the finish was unreal, the crowds were wild at one point the noise level was so high from the crowds I could not even hear Margarite who was just a foot away. Later Margarite told me the crowds were like that the entire race.
We are hanging in Boston until Wednesday with some old friends, Francy, Chico, Pablo, Mcnabb, and Drazella.
The race was over for Margarite at 1:30 it took about 30 minutes to find her. Our friend Jen was just a little behind her. Francy and Pablo also meet up with us they had been watching the race from heartbreak hill. This is a steep hill between mile 20 and 22 this hill has brought many a runners to there knees.
Francy lives in Melrose, MA a suburb of Boston normally a 15 minute T ride from downtown Boston. We said our goodbyes and headed for the T station Margarite, Francy, Pablo and I. The T was packed there were 25,000 runners plus all the spectators trying to move around Boston. We jammed onto the Green Line taking it to North Station where we would switch to the Orange Line.
We squeezed onto the subway which was fine for the spectators but for the marathoners like Margarite it was brutal. Run 26.2 miles and then stand on a packed hot stinky subway, I am sure some runners wished they were still running rather then being on the T.
As we started heading to North Station we quickly came to a stop and just stood there, packed in like sardines 100 feet underground about 20% of the people on the subway had just run 26.2 miles. Not a pleasant place to be. Margarite was getting nauseous and cramping. We sat for about 30 minutest moving a few feet then sitting for a while again. A runner in a car ahead of us had passed out and could not be move until emergency personal were able to get to him. Once the tracks cleared we had 6 stops before we changed trains to the Orange Line. At each stop more and more passengers would leave the train and some fresh air would take there place.
It was almost three and a half hours until we got to Francy's house in Melrose. Margarite said the ride on the T was harder then running the marathon.
It was Francy's 21st birthday and she made us a very nice dinner.
Chico's brother Dave joined us.
Tuesday I was going to watch the boys Pablo 10, Mcnabb 7, and Jake 10 a close friend of Pablo's. The ladies were heading out for massages Drazella was off to school and Chico to work.
The boys and I decided we should make Francy a birthday cheese cake. So we headed to Shaws a local grocery to get all the ingredients.
Then we realized we were hungry so we went to Cedar Park for breakfast.
Now it was cheese cake time. Mcnabb made the crust, Jake cracked the eggs, Pablo got the cream cheese ready and I mixed everything together.
After baking the cake we played WII the rest of the day. For America being in a depression they seem to be fairing fairly well. I doubt any kid in Botswana even knows what a WII is.
Wednesday all the kids were off to sports camp so Margarite, Francy and I went to Rockport, MA for the day. Rockport was once a huge shoe manufacturing town on the New England Coast that is now a tourist destination with shops and restaurants.
Most of the items in the shops in Rockport are made in China even items with the Rockport logo. One day American might figure out you need to produce something to be the worlds leading economy.
Wednesday, crack of dawn we are heading to Pennsylvania, Chico, Pablo, McNabb, Drazella and Francy to visit Francy's mom, me to go meet up with my buddies from the Full Moon Running Club. We are all running the Broad Street 10 miler which is the following Sunday May 3rd. Margarite is flying back to Botswana.
That is the update on the Marathon and Boston enjoy the pictures and video.
Cheers,
DUG
VIDEO
PICTURES
Dug - you need the village to buy you a steadycam for the next marathon...
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