Boston Marathon

[catnapper]

How exciting! We've been watching him all day. He passed Karen a bit ago --- I think I heard her yell for him in Pennsylvania!

[Karen]

We (me, the mom next door and two kids) didn't see his number pass us, but we yelled for lots of people, a couple of the guys in orange and black had their numbers obscured, so we may have seen him and not known it was him! He's almost done ...

He IS done!

Official time: 3:05:39
Overall placement: 1975
Placement within gender: 1872
Placement within division: 1335

[Karen]

Kim, I am sorry we didn't spot him. We did look really hard - Asia and Windsor and their Mom and I all were looking for his number. It was pretty cold out there, and some runners had jackets and hats on. In the middle photo there is a man in red, it probably isn't him, but often we couldn't see numbers, and they went by pretty quickly.

The first is the eventual winner - crossing the crosswalk, near us!

The man running with the American flag was very noticeable - and must have amazing arm strength and endurance - he had at that point been running for almost 20 miles, and he was carrying the flag in one hand!

There were many Army folks in full packs walking the course - the guys Paul got a picture of clapped each of our hands as they passed - the kids and me!

Enjoy!

[Laura's Babies]

WOW Karen! Those are some great shots!!! That had to be fun!!!

[Karen]

Thanks, Paul took the pictures, as he's a better photographer than I! It is fun, every year - we like when the runners have their names or cities or countries on their short, so we can yell "Go Mike!" or "Go Alaska" and we yelled really loudly for the two people in Iowa shirts, as Lydia (mom next door) is from Iowa!

I spoke to Kim's hubby by phone, and next year we'll be better organized for this!

[phesina]

I RAN the Boston Marathon... in 1984!

It took me 4 1/2 hours, but I finished.. I remember getting to Wellesley, the halfway point, and thinking "Someone has already won this by now!" As I recall, it was an English guy named Geoff Smith, and it took him just over two hours.

[RICHARD]

I just saw the race replay and they announcers were talking about Wellesley (sp?) and some place called Newton?

Next year I hope someone can make a HUGE - Hi Pet Talk banner and tell us where they will be so we can wave?

[Karen]

We are usually mentioned as "as the runners pass through the hills of Newton ..." or the dreaded "Newton's Heartbreak hill" but honest, there's more to us than that! I have never watched the race on TV - do they do "crowd shots along the way?

[RICHARD]

We are usually mentioned as "as the runners pass through the hills of Newton ..." or the dreaded "Newton's Heartbreak hill" but honest, there's more to us than that! I have never watched the race on TV - do they do "crowd shots along the way?

This year the race was on the VERSUS channel. From what I understand many cable companies do not offer it on their lineup.


As the runners move along- the 1st place women and men are what the cameras follow. There are crowd shots-the best place to get on camera would probably be at the inside of a turn. The runners get close to th barriers and you would be able to see and ID someone there.

Or you could run out and tackle a runner as they go by. That is good for some face time!

I kid, I kid.

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I have always loved the fun stuff that happens in a neighborhood like that.

I went to see the LA Marathon one year and was blown away. Too much fun for humans to have?

[Karen]

We see the camera trucks - that's how you know when the lead runners are approaching in each division - two police motorcycles, then the media truck, then the actual runners. Just didn't know if they ever bothered with the sides of the crowds.

[RICHARD]

I had to laugh today while I was shoe shopping.

The local sporting goods store has really great deals on shoes.

The have tons of shoes that were either display models or shoes that were separated from the boxes.

I was at the men's table and there was this pair of really bizarre running shoes. The didn't have a heel/sole- it had hard pieces of plastic in the shape of the letter 'c', that made up the heel, like the old style leaf spring/suspension on a car. Hokay, the original thing that caught my attention was the size.

19.

I was with my sis and she took a pic of my shoe and this running shoe side by side. I finally know what my feet looked like when I was a kid! There was also a pair of size 16 shoes, but they weren't as funny looking!

I thought about getting noticed during a marathon and thought these shoes would be a way to do it!


You just start at the back of the pack and literally 'shoe' the runner's away from you!


Sorry, that was a bad pun, made worse when you are standing, staring at pair of giant shoes, laughing like an idiot.