Larry Rawson – 1 Man, 26.2 miles, 50 years of Boston Marathon broadcasts, By Ian Eckersley

In keeping with our traditions during Boston Marathon Week, we posted this story today, April 7, 2024. With the 128th Boston Marathon coming up on April 15, 2024, we are proud to post this tribute to the one and only Larry Rawson, the Voice of the Boston Marathon for the past 50 years. We thank Ian Eckersley for his wonderful writing and suggestions from Bill Rodgers and Jack Fultz for Ian and me to catch up. A special thanks to Jeff Benjamin for getting us all together.

Larry Rawson – 1 Man, 26.2 miles, 50 years of Boston Marathon broadcasts

Larry Rawson, the Voice of the Boston Marathon, this year celebrates 50 years of calling the iconic event initially for radio, then television. He shares some insights and reflections with runner/writer from Australia, Ian Eckersley, a long-time Boston aficionado, two-time Boston Marathon finisher, and former television sports broadcaster.

By Ian Eckersley **

It all started way back in 1974 as a serendipitous ‘fact-checking’ moment at the finish line of the Boston Marathon during the infancy of its broadcast days. Yet 50 years later, broadcaster and commentator Larry Rawson – The Voice of the Boston Marathon, the esteemed Patriot’s Day race that magnetically attracts over 30,000 runners worldwide – racks up an extraordinary milestone on April 15.

But after all, when you’ve grown up in the shadows of the famous Newton Hills and attended Boston College, where else is Lady Luck likely to send you but out into the thick of Boston Marathon action each April as the eyes, ears, and voice of the 128-year-old event?

In between—in case you weren’t aware—there have been a few major professional detours to globally significant events and institutions such as the Vietnam War (as a Captain and forward artillery observer seeing frontline action against the Viet Cong) and a successful career on Wall Street (helping to build high-yield bond departments for Lehmann Brothers and Morgan Stanley).

Larry says the lead-up to his amazing half-century of Boston broadcasting is a “true pinch me” moment – where he allows himself a rare indulgence into the ‘ultra-marathon’ journey of his Boston Marathon love affair and the many things about the event that have morphed and transformed on his watch.

“I’m excited because it’s 50. I really am. I admit it’s a big number, and it’s a privilege to have been so deeply involved in such an iconic event for so long,” says Larry.

“I mean, in our country, to be perfectly…