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Posted by gary on January 4, 2008, 11:18 am, in reply to "we now have diesel 1-1-08"
I ran along hoping to see any visible signs that the road I was running on might contain something left from 111 epic editions dating back to 1897, that something very special happens here every single year. The first thing I saw was small faded 'Powerbar' sticker affixed to a medal post. I wondered how long had it been there and who put it there? I immediately engaged my best Marg Helgenberger (CSI) instincts and remembered that Powerbar was founded in 1986 but I doubted that the sticker was that old. It is fun to think even if it was put there in 1996 for Boston's 100th anniversary that this sticker has seen an awful lot of runners pass by.
The next thing I saw was a knit hat hanging on a low tree limb, was this a cast off from last years 'storm of the century edition'? Perhaps someone wore this hat to start the race and then tossed it where it landed, hanging there like a dried out leaf that refuses to fall to the ground. Next I saw a dirty water bottle mixed with the broken glass and roadside litter. It sure looked like it had been there for a long time. Maybe it was from one of the elite water stations? Maybe this was the race winner, Robert Cheruiyot's water bottle? If I was William Peterson (CSI) I could probably find some DNA evidence to prove or disprove my theory? Instead I just kept running. I didn't see anything for many miles or maybe I was lost in thought and wasn't paying attention when suddenly I saw a flattened gel packet, then another and another. These must be from the marathon? Why would there be some many in one place all tucked neatly against the curb? I had hopes of finding a bib number or something with any kind of a mark which would without doubt place it in a single addition of the worlds oldest continuous marathon. Maybe a runner that was humbled by this course tore his or her bib number from their chest and threw it to the ground in defeat or defiance? Maybe I'd find a piece of licensed BAA apparel? Maybe if I looked closely enough I'd find a poorly attached timing chip that would help explain why so many each year are disqualified for not crossing all the timing mats? As I climbed through the hills and into the city proper I saw fewer and fewer clues that this road is any different than any other. As I ran it become apparent, although the physical reminders I sought were nowhere to be seen that there was still an indescribable feeling in the air along this long and infamous road. I determined that the Boston Marathon route is special far beyond what happens on Patriots day. The energy of hundreds of thousands of competitors who have left a bit of themselves along this road is still right where they left it.
the end
ps see you in Hopkinton on 1-1-09
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