Boston vs CIM: I don't really buy that Boston is a tough course but CIM is super fast.

Boston is faster than CIM.

Houston is the fastest US marathon. You want to PR, go there.

Houston wrote:

Boston is faster than CIM.

Houston is the fastest US marathon. You want to PR, go there.

Chicago is the fastest US marathon.

Houston fast but gets a little windy around mile 16 as you head to the skyscrapers

I got 600on strava

I marathon debued at CIM and ran Boston right after. I was more fit for Boston. If u train hills in your build-up, Boston and CIM are very comparable. For me, Boston may even be faster with proper hill strength! IMO

Both can be very tough on the quads. Not nearly as bad with super shoes though.

Boston is not a tough course.

But he's at the top of the page here.

Age group runner here with top 5-10 age group finishes at both events. I have run both twice. The first half of the two are fairly similar with a lot of rolling hills and a decent amount of net downhill. But from then on Boston is much tougher. The hills take a lot out of you, and the last five miles, while downhill some can get gnarly with the wind. CIM is flat with hardly any turns to the finish. If you haven't blown out your quads in the first half the second half is very easy.

Also consider the weather. CIM is fairly consistent. It's usually 25 to 45 degrees at the start, maybe 5 or 10 degrees warmer at the finish. And most years wind is not a factor. Boston has wild weather, many bad weather years, and you often don't know what you'll get until 2 days before the race.

I've run Boston 8 times, and CIM around 10. I'd have to go back and look at the numbers, but I'd have to say that they're pretty close time-wise. Conditions at Boston can vary quite a bit of course.. Could be hot, could be cold. CIM hasn't had a bad weather day in recent history, but I ran through a few Really rough days at CIM that had a huge impact on performance. The trick with Boston is preparing your body for 16 miles of mostly downhill running, that pounds your quads.. .Then you have the hills from 16-21. The course profiile I think makes Boston slightly slower in my mind. Catch Boston on a tailwind day, and there's no beating it though!

feet, but I lost track of how many hills there after about #11. Large rollers, seemingly nonstop. I don't understand the appeal. Like the Vaporflys, I think a lot of it is marketing and hype. And all the fast people happen to be doing it.

who are these “fast people”? Are Sisson, Bates, D’amato, Saina, o’Neil, running CIM? No. Some 2:39 women are, and they’re running 5-6 minute PR’s. Same can be said for the men’s side of the house.

Boston will beat you up, CIM won’t

Not one runner with any sense has ever said this.

It’s been 15 years since I ran CIM, but I recall the last 10K feeling really good. I had a nice negative split and it remains my PR to this day (2:53).

I ran Boston many times, including the tailwind course record year and it was still about 90 seconds slower than my CIM time and I think I was in better shape for Boston.

I think Boston is pretty hard even though it has my 2nd and 3rd fastest times. I don’t think I’ve had a negative split there and I always feel broken at the finish. I live where there are no hills and the Boston hills come at the worst point in the race. However, I thought NYC was harder than Boston.