2025 Boston Marathon: Some Observations on my return to the world’s most iconic marathon

My first Boston was in 1986. I ran the race, after working all weekend at the Expo, I wanted to break three hours ( I had run 2:48.12 in 1984, and a 2:51:18 in 1983). I learned to respect the course right away, running personal marathon best splits at 5 miles, 10 miles, and 15 miles, and then, disintegrating. I was on 2:40 pace, then 2:50 pace, then collapsed, and finished in 3:22. That year was the first year that the Boston marathon had a professional feel, with John Hancock coming on, a sponsorship that they held until a couple of years ago. Guy Morse, the first BAA professional race director, took the race into the modern world.

The Boston Marathon is an inconic and  unique race. First of all, it is the hardest to qualify for for citizen runners. It is the top of the food chain for global marathoners, and, like my flight into Boston, people come from near and far to race this iconic race. On my flight, a runner from Mexico was wearing Berlin marathon swag. Lots of marathoners, primarily domestic, with old racing tshirts, showing that they were, in fact, part of this running culture for some time.

Here, in no particular order, a few of my thoughts on returning to the Boston Marathon.

1. The Boston Marathon has changed. I am not sure if it is for better or worse, I will leave that distinction to be discussed next week. Today, Saturday, I saw many wearing the 5k medal proudly, as they watched the high school, and elite road miles, sponsored by our friends at adidas. The 5k and miles were brought to Saturday over a decade ago, and they have stuck. The 5k, and miles are races unto themselves, and add to the many things that families, friends and marathoners can do over the weekend.
2. The Boston Marathon presser was on Friday. The elites show up, and Carrie Tollefson did the intros, with Jack Fleming, the CEO of Boston Marathon,speaking about the elite fields and the importance of the race. The elite fields introduced on Friday is when, from 1986-2017, each year I attended, that I would feel goose bumps. It is a pretty formal affair, but it is really fun to see the best marathoners in the world, ready for Boston.
3. As one observer told me, “Jack is in his element”, over the weekend. Jack Fleming was made for this job. First as an intern at USATF New England for Steve Vaitones, then, the BAA for a bit with Guy Morse, then, a return to BAA after time at Times-Picayune in New Orleans, then, to the long road to the top, first with Guy Morse, then, Tom Grilk, now in…