Explain to me why anyone who is n ot an elite would want to run Boston!

1. lots o competition - in boston a 3 hour guy will finish in a pack whereas in podunk hometown marathon he could be alone in 6th

2. vacation - ppl get paid to not work, its called paid time off

3. live in boston area

4. youre rich so boston is a drop in the bucket

and many more

Shhhhhhh! The emperor has no clothes!

it makes NO sesne wrote:

Its expensive, the logistics to travel there and to get to and from the race on race day are a pain, and you lose a day of work.

IT MAKES NO SENSE!

I had a good time at Boston, but I did not spend a lot of money to be there. I planned ahead and did not stay downtown. That being said, I see it as a one and done experience that took a long time for me to qualify for. Didn't buy any schwag at the expo and certainly not wearing any at the airport (though I see lots of people doing so)

Bucket - list stuff among post booomers.

Used to be a good regional race. Now the masses can buy their way in. Some people need their ruNning validated. I hate crowds, but I've been doing this for years. It beats me why anYone would fly to a race. I like watching the leaders but tune out the hype. Imagine The Masters leTting in weekend duffers.

Isn't it the only sporting event open to amateurs that's covered by ESPN and most of the rest of the national media? (And golf doesn't count)

Activities that "regular" people participate in:

- skiing

- softball

- baseball

- surfing

- tennis

- basketball

- cycling

- etc.

-etc.

-etc.........

To participate at a semi-competitive level in any one of these is going to cost at least the entrance fee to Boston. You wouldn't have to travel, but why not take a trip to Boston and run one of the most popular marathons in the world?

I ran through the starting zone with my funny hat on, got on TV, then stopped after 2 miles and went home. Great time!

Why run when you can buy a cheap car to transport you to and from work.

Buying runnng shoes is expensive. People waste a ton of time jogging that they could use helping less fortunate or developing their marketable skills.

In all seriousness, I don't know why non-elites wouldn't want to run Boston. If you're a 3 hour marathoner, there's no better way of validating the time and effort you put in then saying that you ran Boston. Despite the admission of all the charity runners, for most people 'qualifying for Boston' means you're pretty good at this marathoning thing (short of winning a marathon which, for the most part, still requires a sub 2:40 even these days). That's the extrinsic reason. Intrinsically? It's BOSTON for Gad's sake - aside from the Olympics this is the oldest and most famously continuously run marathon on Earth. This origin of this race is also the genesis of road racing as a sport. It's Mecca, it's Athens, it's the sport's anchor. Everyone should run it (or try) just to pay proper respect.

The stars aligned for me to run Boston ~10yr ago. Frequent flyer miles, my brother was living there, happened to have paced a friend to a Boston qualifier so I had my own by default. So it cost me about $250 total for both my wife I I to go.

I was not in great shape but really went to visit my bro and experience it. Was about 1000th just under 3:00. Finished and was treated like an elite runner in the recovery area: massage, blisters dressed, hot tea & OJ brought to me. Logistics were not a problem as it is VERY well run. There are very few other marathons with crowd support so strong across the entirety of the course, and they stay to cheer as the masses go by. It is pretty, it is challenging.

I don't have any respect for those who buy in with charity entry, but that is the nature of the beast now. It still does not diminish my experience, nor does it make it less impressive to the non runner who says "You qualified for Boston?!?!"

I probably will never do it again, but it really was a fun experience.

Sounds like me. I qualified earlier this year, will be using some frequent flier miles for the flight and have a free place to stay. Also hoping to hit it just under 3:00. I'll probably only do it once, but it's a trip the wife and I are looking forward to.

The people are nice, it's a historic and clean city, the beer is exceptional, and the women are hot. Oh, and it's the oldest continuous marathon in the world. History rocks!

I've never done it, but I'm considering it. If you're a reasonably fast runner and you want company, there are only a handful of races in the world where you know you'll have it. Basically it's the WMMs and a few other connoisseur races like CIM and Grandma's.

The catch for me is that one only has so many shots at a PR after the age of 30, and Boston is not a PR course.

If you are fast enough, you can get on tv for a few minutes.

Face it, a lot of people go to Boston again and again because everyone knows about the Boston Marathon and it's a day that they can shine in the sun. I'm pretty sure a 4:00 at Boston is a bigger deal than a 2:30 at some other marathon, or equivalent at any other distance anywhere.

It's not pre-fab wrote:

The people are nice, it's a historic and clean city, the beer is exceptional, and the women are hot. Oh, and it's the oldest continuous marathon in the world. History rocks!

Hey, what about the second oldest marathon in Yonkers? Talk about a destination!!!!

I'm an old dude, so the I remember the beautiful Culver city, ca marathon... with laps!!

Yonkers used to be a GOOD race, now it blows. What gives?

I was top 100 about 7 years ago. The weather was amazing and there were so many people out on the course just cheering and drinking and having a good time. The final half mile was insane to run through. My friend and I stayed at his Aunt's place so we didn't have to pay anything beyond the flight and race fee. The entire city was so alive that weekend.

Race day was easy. Take a bus to the starting line, chill for a little while, line up and race, and then pick up your bag at the end. Don't be slow and you should have no problem getting your bag quickly.

It was an awesome experience and totally worth it.

pop_pop! wrote:

It's not pre-fab wrote:

The people are nice, it's a historic and clean city, the beer is exceptional, and the women are hot. Oh, and it's the oldest continuous marathon in the world. History rocks!

Hey, what about the second oldest marathon in Yonkers? Talk about a destination!!!!

I'm an old dude, so the I remember the beautiful Culver city, ca marathon... with laps!!

Would that have been a marathon on a track?!