Fears surrounding the Boston Marathon weather usually concern excessive heat, but this year, runners battled gale force winds and sub-40 degree temperatures. Boy, I’m glad this wasn’t the year I decided to run another marathon in a qualifying time of 3 hours and 40 minutes so that I could run the Boston Marathon. Maybe next year.
Yesterday, when the media talked up the storm, many runners were unfazed. Cocky, even. Some maniacs even expressed excitement. “It adds a whole new dimension to the Marathon,” one said. One woman from California admitted she had never seen a Nor’easter. “Rain, wind, cold,” she said, a slight smile on her lips as if to say what else you got? “I know adverse conditions,” scoffed Olympic Bronze medalist Deena Kastor, who was born in Waltham, MA. “I’ve gotten in training runs in snowy, windy conditions and in the rain”.
Luckily for them, the worst of the storm passed through early Monday morning. I was awakened at 5:15am by wind-driven rain rattling my windows like it wanted to get in. But by the time the elites passed Mile 8 in Natick, the rain had stopped and the wind subsided. Still, out of the 25,000 runners who flew past me in a cavalcade of footfalls and body odor, the only person who looked happy about the chilly weather was the man wearing a full-length cow outfit.
Below are the leading women at Mile 8. Combined, they have less total body fat than my right thigh. Number 6 in the blue shorts is the ultimate winner, Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia. Deena Kastor, who finished 5th, is number 3. I *believe* the woman on the far left is Madai Perez of Mexico (finished 3rd) and the woman in front of her is Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia (finished 2nd).
Below are the leading men at Mile 8. I took this picture not realizing that these two Kenyans were rabbits, whose job it is to set a fast pace for the leaders. Neither finished, but at this point they were minutes ahead of the pack of elite men, including fellow Kenyan and ultimate winner Robert Cheruiyot, who won for the 3rd year, with a time seven minutes slower than last year. The wind and cold did take a toll.
