Boston Marathon

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The 100th running of the Boston Marathon, 1996
The 100th running of the Boston Marathon, 1996

The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon sporting event hosted by the city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's most prestigious road racing events. The marathon is one of five members of the World Marathon Majors.

Today, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) manages this event. Amateur and professional runners from all over the world compete in the Boston Marathon each year, braving the hilly New England terrain and unpredictable, sometimes brutal weather to take part in the race.

The event attracts an average of about 20,000 registered participants each year. In the 100th running of the Boston Marathon in 1996, the number of participants reached 38,000. While there are cash prizes awarded to the winners of the marathon, most of the runners take part in the historical marathon just for the joy of participating in such a prestigious race.

Contents

[edit] Race

[edit] Qualifying

The Boston marathon is open to all runners, male and female, from any nation, but they must meet certain qualifying standards.[1] To qualify, a runner must first complete a standard marathon course certified by a national governing body affiliated with the International Association of Athletics Federations within a certain period of time before the date of the desired Boston Marathon (usually within approximately 18 months prior). Prospective runners in the age range of 18–34 must run a time of no more than 3:10:59 (3 hours and 10 minutes) if male, or 3:40:59 (3 hours and 40 minutes) if female; the qualifying time is adjusted upward as age increases. For example, a 40–44 year old male can still qualify with a time of 3:20:59. An exception to the qualification requirement is awarded to 1,250 runners who raise a pre-determined level of sponsorship for officially designated local charities.

Besides the Olympic trials and the Olympic marathons, Boston is the only major American marathon that requires a qualifying time. Thus for many marathoners to qualify for Boston (to "BQ") is a goal and achievement in itself, making it a "people's Olympic event."

In the 1980s and 1990s, membership in USA Track & Field was required of all runners, but this requirement was eliminated.

[edit] Race day

The race has traditionally been held on Patriots' Day, and until 1969 that was every April 19, whichever day of the week that fell on. Starting in 1969, the holiday was observed on the third Monday in April, and so the marathon date was correspondingly fixed to that Monday.

[edit] Start time

Through 2005, the race began at noon, (wheelchair race began at 11:25 a.m., and the elite women at 11:31 a.m.) at the official starting point in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Beginning with the 2006 event, the race has used a staggered "wave start," where (in 2006) top seeded runners (the elite men's group) and a first batch of up to 10,000 runners started at noon, with a second group starting at 12:30. Beginning in 2007 the starting times for the race were moved to 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. for the two wave starts, with the wheelchair and elite women's divisions starting at 9:25 a.m. and 9:35 a.m., respectively. These changes were made primarily because of the runners' desire to begin the race earlier to take advantage of cooler temperatures, though another added benefit is that many roads along the course can reopen to traffic earlier in the day.[2]

[edit] Course

The course runs through 26.22 miles (42.195 km) of winding roads, following Route 135, Route 16, Route 30 and city streets into the center of Boston, where the official finish line is located at Copley Square, alongside the Boston Public Library. For this reason, the MBTA suspends service to the Copley Square stop for the day, and runs increased service to the area.

The Boston Marathon is considered to be one of the more difficult marathon courses because of the Newton, Massachusetts hills, which culminate in Heartbreak Hill near Boston College. While the three hills on Commonwealth Avenue (Route 30) are better known, a preceding hill on Washington Street (Route 16), climbing from the Charles River crossing at 16 miles, is regarded by Dave McGillivray, the 2007 race director, as the course’s most difficult challenge.[3][4] Coming immediately after a 150 foot drop in half a mile, it has forced many lesser-trained runners to a walk.

[edit] Heartbreak Hill

Heartbreak Hill is an ascent over one-half mile of the Boston Marathon course, between the 20 and 21 mile marks, in the vicinity of Boston College. It is the last of four "Newton hills", which begin at the 16 mile mark. The Newton hills confound contestants (out of proportion to their modest elevation gain) by forcing a late climb after the downhill trend of the race to that point. Heartbreak Hill itself rises only 80 vertical feet, but is positioned at a point on a marathon course where muscle glycogen stores are likely to be depleted—a phenomenon referred to by marathoners as "hitting the wall."

The nickname "Heartbreak Hill" originated with an event in the 1936 race. On this stretch, defending champion John A. Kelley caught race leader Ellison "Tarzan" Brown, giving Brown a consolatory pat on the shoulder as he passed. His competitive drive apparently stoked by this gesture, Tarzan Brown rallied, pulled away from Kelley, and went on to win—in the words of Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason, "breaking Kelley's heart."[5]

[edit] Records

Current course records, as of 2007, are 2:07:14 and 2:20:43 for men's open and women's open, respectively.

Only once each have men's and women's world record times for marathon running been set in Boston. In 1947, the men's record time set was 2:25:39, by Suh Yun-Bok of South Korea. In 1975, a women's world record of 2:42:24 was set by Liane Winter of West Germany. Ironically, the course is now considered invalid for international records because the finish is substantially lower in elevation than the start.[6]

The race's organizers keep a standard time clock for all entries, though official timekeeping ceases after the six hour mark.

[edit] Spectators

The Boston marathon is New England's most widely viewed sporting event.[citation needed] About 500,000 spectators watch the race live annually, and more than 1,100 media members from over 250 outlets were expected to receive media credentials in 2006.

For the entire distance of the race, thousands of fans and well-wishers line up along the sides of the course to cheer the runners on, encourage them, and provide free water and snacks to any of the runners. The crowds are even more encouraging for the amateur runners and first time runners. At Wellesley College, in the 13th mile, many female students cheer the runners in the so-called "scream tunnel."[citation needed]

Every year, the Boston Red Sox play a home game at Fenway Park, starting at 11:05 a.m. (10:05 a.m. starting in 2007) When the game ends, the crowd empties into Kenmore Square to cheer as the runners enter the final mile. In 2007, the game between the Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was delayed until 12:05 p.m. due to heavy rain. The marathon, which had previously been run in a wide variety of weather conditions, was not delayed.

[edit] The B.A.A.

Main article: Boston Athletic Association

The Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit, organized sports association that organizes the Boston Marathon and other events.

Among the nation's oldest athletic clubs, the Boston Athletic Association was established on March 15, 1887 under its first president, Robert F. Clark, and with the support of George Walker Weld and other leading sports enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and politicians of the day. The B.A.A. is now headquartered at 40 Trinity Place. It relies on the support of John Hancock Financial Services Inc. and other sponsors and contributors not only with its signature event, the Boston Marathon, but also in its year-round community programming.

[edit] History

See also: List of winners of the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon Finish Line, 1910.
Boston Marathon Finish Line, 1910.

The Boston Marathon was originally a local event, but its fame and status have attracted runners from all over the world. In recent years, critics of America's professional sports leagues have pointed to the dominance of foreign-born athletes in the event (especially runners from Kenya) to back their arguments that American professional running is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of producing quality athletes. However, foreign dominance of the race is nothing new. Between 1946 and 1967 only one American (John J. Kelley in 1957) won the marathon in an era when Finland and Japan were the distance powerhouses.

For most of its history, the Boston Marathon was a free event, and the only prize awarded for winning the race was a wreath woven from olive branches. However, corporate-sponsored cash prizes began to be awarded in the 1980s, when professional athletes began to refuse to run the race without cash awards. The first cash prize for winning the marathon was awarded in 1986.

Women were not allowed to enter the Boston Marathon officially until 1972. Roberta (Bobbi) Gibb is recognized as the first woman to run the entire Boston Marathon (in 1966). In 1967, Kathrine Switzer, who had registered as "K. V. Switzer", was the first woman to run with a race number. She finished, despite a celebrated incident in which race official Jock Semple tried to rip off her numbers and eject her from the race.[7] In 1996 the B.A.A. retroactively recognized as champions the unofficial women's leaders of 1966 through 1971.

[edit] Divisions

The Boston Marathon does not only offer running divisions for both men and women. In 1975, a tradition of offering racing opportunities to those with disabilities and impairments began when one wheelchair racer decided to take the challenge and complete the entire distance of the marathon. Since then, three new divisions have emerged, including a push rim wheelchair division, a visually impaired/blind division, and a mobility impaired division. Similar to the running divisions, a set of realistic qualifying times has been developed for these divisions to ensure the continuation of competitive excellence for which the Boston Marathon is so widely acclaimed. In 1986, the Boston Athletic Association, which is responsible for running the event, introduced prize money into the push rim wheelchair division and made this purse the highest purse in the history of the sport. To date, more than 1,000 people with different disabilities and impairments have participated in the wheelchair division, with the other divisions gaining popularity each year. The wheelchair division frequently gains a great deal of national and international attention considering the performances in the Boston Marathon are often record-breaking performances that demonstrate the continued evolution and advancement in the sport.

[edit] Controversies and notable events

[edit] Rosie Ruiz scandal

Scandal came to the Boston Marathon in 1980 when amateur runner Rosie Ruiz came from out of nowhere to win the women's race. Marathon officials became suspicious when it was found Ruiz didn't appear in race videotapes until near the end of the race. A subsequent investigation concluded (though Ruiz never admitted to cheating) that Ruiz had skipped most of the race and blended into the crowd about one mile from the finish line, where she then ran to her apparent victory. Ruiz was officially disqualified, and the winner was proclaimed to be Canadian Jacqueline Gareau.

[edit] Dick and Rick Hoyt

One of the most recognized duos each year at the Boston Marathon is Dick and Rick Hoyt. Dick is the father of Rick, who has cerebral palsy. While doctors originally said he would never have a shot at a normal life and thought that institutionalizing Rick was the best option, Dick and his wife disagreed and raised him like an ordinary child. Eventually a computer device was developed that helped Rick communicate with his family and the family learned of one of his biggest passions: sports. Eventually Dick and Rick started competing in charity runs, with Dick pushing Rick in a wheelchair. The father and son began to enjoy racing so much that they started entering marathons and even triathlons, with Dick towing Rick in a little boat during the swim and carrying him on the front of his bike during the cycling portion. Dick and Rick have competed in 64 marathons and over 200 triathlons and finish with competitive times, often faster than 90% of the pack. Their top marathon finish was an astonishing 2:45, a time unattainable for most average marathoners.The team completed their 25th Boston Marathon in 2006 to help raise money for Easter Seals, when Dick was 64 and Rick was 44. When asked about their motivation to continue racing, they both say that they hope to prove to people all over the world that disabled individuals should not be left in the corner and forgotten about, but rather included so that they can have the life experiences others are so lucky to have.[8]

[edit] Deaths

  • 2002 - Cynthia Lucero, 28

[edit] References

  1. ^ Qualifying for the marathon
  2. ^ BAA News Release about earlier start time for 2007 race
  3. ^ Connelly, Michael: "26 Miles to Boston", pp. 105-06. Parnassus Imprints, 1998
  4. ^ Boston Course Tips
  5. ^ The ultimate guide to the Boston marathon (Blog)
  6. ^ USATF Rule 265(5)(a)
  7. ^ * http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1141740 Marathon Women - NPR
  8. ^ Team Hoyt Homepage

[edit] External links

[edit] General reference

[edit] Photo and video stories

[edit] Further reading

History of the Boston Marathon, Boston Marathon:The First Century of the World's Premier Running Event, by Tom Derderian, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1996, 634 pages, ISBN 0-88011-479-7

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