Boston Marathon, Boston

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The Boston Marathon is one of, if not THE, premiere races in the world. Most runners qualify to run the race by completing another marathon with a certain finishing time and others pay big bucks to run for a charity. The level of runners in the field is much higher for that reason. However, one downside to the focus on the runner is that there is little or no focus on the spectators. It seems as though the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) has made provisions to provide information to the runners, but not to all of those people out there who help these runners through thick and thin! After all, without all of those millions of people standing along every road on the course, those runners would be awfully lonely, uninspired and unmotivated.

I was in charge of planning for a team of spectators that included me, my parents, my husband's parents, his brothers and our two year old son. I was very disappointed with how little information is available online for spectators. Because of the lack of information, I was forced to get a bit creative. I spent the days before leaving for Boston online looking at maps, train schedules, the race layout, and any other bits of information that I could get my hands on. I decided that the best plan of attack would be to create three groups of spectators in order to increase the likelihood that my husband would see someone during the race. Unless you have inside knowledge on the city or can run the race yourself, the train schedules do not allow for pedestrian spectators to take in more than one viewing spot along the race route.

Equipment: I split the family up into three groups: I would go with my parents and my son out to Wellesley by commuter train. My mother-in-law and one brother-in-law would watch the race from mile 16.8, which was accessible from the T-train. And my father-in-law and other brother-in-law would meet up with the racers around mile 21 near Boston College. Fortunately for us (and my husband), everyone got to see him in their assigned spots. Thanks to a tip from a Boston local, Team 2 actually caught him again just before the finish, when it turned out that my husband needed some support the most. It is a real shame that the BAA doesn't provide more ways for spectators to get around the city. They should take a lesson from the organizers of the Chicago Marathon who really go out of their way to provide information and support to spectators!

If you are a spectator, I highly recommend doing your research before you leave for the race. Do not expect the BAA to provide any different information or maps than what they give to the runners. The map designed by the BAA is rudementary and not complete. Use google maps or another mapping tool online to create a complete race route. Look at train schedules and ticket prices to see what works best. Pay attention to the weather. We had unseasonably cold weather and the two previous years saw unseasonably hot weather. Dress in layers and make sure you have rain gear available.