Jim Miller, finishing his 100th marathon, gets a big hug from his ATO fraternity brother Bert Sams

He finished!  That’s right — Jim Miller completed his 100th marathon at Boston Marathon 2014, almost as planned.  (See “Run, Jim Miller, Run.“)  But if you had asked Jim the night before, he might not have been so sure his dream would become a reality. After walking back from the Museum of Fine Arts, Jim turned his ankle at the corner of the Omni Parker House Hotel. But with the help of an EMT who wrapped his ankle and good friend Mari who was ready with ibuprofen, Jim rallied. On race day, April 21st, Jim Miller completed his 100th race, a total that includes runs in each of the 50 U. S. states and raised over $20,000 for the Liver Foundation.  Congrats, Jim!

But there are other reasons why this race, this Boston Marathon 2014, will be remembered as one of our favorite all-time trips of a lifetime.  Here are five of them.

Reason 1.  Pre-race activities get you fired up and ready — even if you’re not running!

Getting ready for any race in any city is an ordeal, but Boston was dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy following the 2013 bombing.  With increased security and down-to-the minute details guaranteed to make this larger, more emotional run a unifying event, pre-race activities endeared us (and the other one million spectators) to the cause so we could truly live the mantra emblazoned on t-shirts and banners:  Boston Runs as One. TV reporters interviewed runners whose stories touched our hearts — runners injured last year, runners who rely on prosthetic limbs to carry them over the finish line, and runners who race — and raise money — for a cause.  Boston Public Library opened its doors to Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial, an exhibit of artifacts and photographs from the prior year. And since the 2014 marathon coincided with Easter, churches joined the celebration by scheduling Blessing of the Runners services for Sunday, April 20th, leaving many of us who attended (and many did!) teary-eyed and emotional the day before the marathon.  Races of lesser lengths kicked off on Saturday the 19th — like children’s races, 5K races, mile-long races — all with precision timing and heightened security.  And what we observed during pre-race days carried through the whole weekend event:  almost everyone was happy, passionate, encouraging.  Something special was in the air.

 Reason 2. John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo lets you peek into the commercial side of running — and it’s a BIG side!

No race of this magnitude occurs without sponsors and vendors, so when we headed over to the Hynes ConventionCenter with Jim to pick up his bib number (#23312), we also got a taste of what’s new in the running world.  Familiar companies were there (Nike, Reebok, PowerBar, etc.), but newcomers like Running Skirts had a packed booth, too. Long lines formed at Runners World with fans hoping to get autographs and to shake hands with editors. The blowaway booth, however, had to be Adidas, official sponsor and producer of those must-have electric orange jackets ($110.00)  and pullovers ($65.00) emblazoned with official logos.  Adidas apparel and gear moved out the door as fast as someone could swipe a card on a handheld.  Ka-ching!

3.  A Pre-race Pasta Party can pump you up and plump you up!

Sponsored by the Boston Athletic Association, the Pre-race Pasta Party at City Hall Plaza on Sunday the 20th, was the place to be!  Long — very long — lines snaked around city blocks leading runners and friends through rows of blue-shirted, swingin’-to-the-music young ladies passing out clam shell boxes for stations featuring salad, bread, and pasta: Penne Marinara,  Four-cheese Baked Rigotoni, and Rotini Greek Pasta Salad. Sponsors like Samuel Adams, Bertoli, Stonyfield Yogurt, and Newman’s Own piled it on, too, and, if you trucked your own empty clam shell to the trash, you were handed a goody bag of desserts bigger than most kids get at Halloween! Thumping vibes of constant good-time music kept people happy while waiting for a table decked out with blue and white balloons.  And no one went away hungry.  It was carbo-loading at its best!

Reason 4. Boston Marathon 2014 leaves you thankful you can run the course or cheer ’em on!

Race Day began at the crack of dawn when 36,000 runners left their bags behind (new procedure this year), boarded buses, and waited for their wave.  Mobility impaired racers came first. Then elite men and women.  Then the rest.  Spectators joined in any way they could — but mostly by the T (short for MBTA). Remarkably patient T employees (and one terrific policeman) helped us find the Green Line headed toward Riverside so we could get off at Newton and cheer runners near Mile 16 where PowerBar workers handed out thousands of bars to hungry runners as they ran by.  When you stand in one place for a while, you make friends — like the ones who joined us in yelling Mil-ler, Mil-ler as our friend ran by (He never heard us!), and then we, in turn, cheered on their friends and family members. Anytime a runner motioned to the crowd for “more noise, ” we pumped up the volume just like we did when a family like the Hoyts moved their loved one in a push-rim wheelchair down the 26.2 miles. For us, the race became emotional: we were moved by determination, spirit, and physical prowess all rolled into one big effort to make it to the finish line.  According to Boston Globe, 99% of runners finished, including one person who collapsed just short of the goal but was carried over the line by two runners willing to assist.

5.  Boston was at its best — and maybe it always is!

Even though we’d been to Boston before, it was fun revisiting the history, the architecture, the food just as if we’d never been.  We downloaded the app for Granary Burial Ground and searched for favorite sites while costumed tour guides told, in animated fashion, stories of famous people buried there.  We looked through Fanueill Hall and Quincy Market with new eyes focused on Boston Strong souvenirs, local foods (chowdah!), and people from around the world snapping pictures of top touristy landmarks. But it was, of course, the Bostonians themselves that we’ll remember: always kind, always working, always determined to make this what it turned out to be: “a moment in time that weaves together a unique fabric of emotion, accomplishment and togetherness.” (From the BAA: Thank you, Boston)

Thanks, Jim Miller, for running this race and inviting your friends to see Boston through one determined runner’s eyes.  It’s a race we’ll never forget.

Jim Miller posing at the Finish Line the day before

If you go next year:

• Book accommodations early.  Many hotels, rooms, and apartments (even through Airbnb, etc.) sold out months before.
• Plan your route using information and the map from the Boston Athletic Association‘s website:  www.baa.org
• Download the Boston Athletic Association app, enter the bib number of the runner you want to follow (up to 10) and check often.  You can keep up with progress easily!
• Know your mobility limitations.  Many streets/sidewalks can be challenging, and long lines mean long waits.
• Ask for help, especially if you use public transportation.  The Bostonians are quite willing to show you the best routes and how to buy tickets.  Just ask. (They even understand Southern accents!)

For more information:

Boston Athletic Association: www.baa.org

Facebook, Boston Athletic Association: https://www.facebook.com/BostonAthleticAssociation

Facebook, Boston Marathon: https://www.facebook.com/TheBostonMarathon

Article cited above: “From the BAA: Thank you, Boston” Retrieved from http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/04/23/from-baa-thank-you-boston/59zUnlFxb4BhnnLXADiLoN/story.html

Frog wearing Boston Strong t-shirt sits on top the entry arch at Boston Commons playground

Here at the Boston Marathon, there is a feeling of exuberance as everyone in the city and those at home supporting the event truly embody what has become the rallying cry, Boston Strong. For this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: On top, here are a few literal and metaphorical representations of the term “on top.”

Whether or not they cross the finish line, all runners feel “on top”!

For more entries in the Weekly Photo Challenge: On top, go here: dailypost.wordpress.

It was near the end of the service that the friar asked the runners attending the service to stand. And then, with passion and concern for those accepting the challenge of the Boston Marathon, he read the following:

A Runner’s Blessing

Run well, my friends.

You stand at the starting line.

You have chosen your race, and the miles await your stamina.

Soon the thunder of thousands of footfalls will surge . . .

A drumbeat of determination.

The starter’s whistle releases you into the chase . . .

the chase of countless individual commitments . . .

collected in common pursuit.

May you rejoice in the fellowship of your companions.

Run well, my friends.

May your minds find focus.

May your heart overflow with joy.

May angel wings make fleet your feet.

May the winds of the sublime billow your lungs.

And may the Lord protect and guide you to the finish line.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Happy Easter 2014

Filed under: Massachusetts, Travel Tagged: blessing, Boston Marathon, Easter, runners, St. Anthony's Shrine ]]> https://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2014/04/21/blessing-of-the-runners-boston-marathon/feed/ 2 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 rushasams image image https://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2014/04/19/boston-opens-arms-to-marathoners-and-spectators/ https://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2014/04/19/boston-opens-arms-to-marathoners-and-spectators/#comments Sat, 19 Apr 2014 12:52:37 +0000 http://ohtheplaceswesee.wordpress.com/?p=4232 Continue reading →]]> We felt the excitement even on the plane. Runners boarded our plane  in Philly dressed in running pants, neon Nike’s, and windbreakers. They buzzed about where they were staying, which train to catch, and where to pick up numbers. So when we arrived, we weren’t surprised to see banners on street lamps and buildings welcoming all comers to Boston Marathon 2014 — it was just what we’d expected from the City of Brotherly Love.

Welcoming sign at Boston Logan International Airport

Banner at Quincy Market.

Boston Strong apparel and souvenirs — proceeds going to charity.

Check back. There’s more to come from Boston Athletic Association’s Boston Marathon 2014.

For more information: http://www.baa.org

Runners in Boston: http://www.baa.org/sights-and-sounds/photo-galleries/2012-half-marathon/2.aspx?page=2

Bert and I are headed to the Boston Marathon this weekend.  No, we’re not running.  In fact, I struggle with just meeting the demands of my Fitbit (set by me, no less) of WALKING (not running) 10,000 steps.  Yeah, yeah.  We walk the neighborhood when the weather is ideal.  We walk in cities when we travel.  But run?  No way.

Jim Miller, running his 100th marathon in Boston, April 21st, 2014

We’re going to Boston Marathon 2014 to support our friend, Jim Miller, who’s running his 100th marathon.  Let me say that again, because you have to get your head around this: 100th marathon!

A 1974 graduate of University of New Hampshire and a consultant in the hospitality industry (now living in Orlando), Jim set a lofty goal for himself that started in Boston years ago.  His first goal?  Run a marathon in each of the 50 states.  And check.  Just like that.  Jim did it.

Jim Miller from News 13: mynews13.com

Next goal?  Run 100 marathons.  And that’s about to be another check.  This race, the 118th Boston Marathon, will satisfy that 100th-marathon goal, a personal accomplishment for the “runningest” person we know!

Boston Start from http://www.baa.org

Jim also wants to raise $100,000 for the Liver Foundation in memory of his father as he explains in this YouTube video. He’s getting closer to that goal, too, as he is now in third place in the Boston Marathon fundraising category through the Liver Foundation‘s Run for Research. (Want to contribute? Click here for Jim Miller.)

Runners, Boston Marathon: http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/27/us/boston-marathon-banned-items/

So, what about us?  First, we’ll fly into Boston for a bit of sightseeing with a particular destination:  the Boston Public Library‘s exhibit “Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial” (open through May 11).

Boston Public Library Memorial: http://www.providencejournal.com/features/lifestyle/travel/20140413-boston-public-library-hosts-exhibit-marking-anniversary-of-marathon-bombings.ece

We’ll check out the usual sites, of course, like Fanueil Hall — and maybe ride in a Swan Boat, if lines aren’t too long.

Fanueil Hall by Robert Linsdell: http://www.providencejournal.com/features/lifestyle/travel/20140413-boston-public-library-hosts-exhibit-marking-anniversary-of-marathon-bombings.ece

Then we’ll accompany Jim at the official Number Pick-up event held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  (It’s exciting.  Really, it is.  All those runners.  And all us loafers gawking and wishing we were in shape enough to join ’em!)

Map for Number Pick Up: http://www.baa.org

We may even be make it to the Pre-race Pasta Party hosted by the Boston Athletic Association, whose website provides maps, history, and great photos of previous events. (Click here.)

Course Map provided by Boston Athletic Association:
http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/event-information/course-map.aspx

Then, on April 21st — Race Day, we’ll  join thousands of other spectators hoping to get a glimpse of the 35,660 registered runners and catch a bus (hopefully) to the Finish Line to congratulate Jim. (The Amazing Race, for real!)

Boston Marathon Medal from http://www.baa.org

So, watch for us.  We’ll be the ones wearing Big Orange University of Tennessee ball caps and Boston Strong wrist bands. Smiling.

We’re excited.  We can’t wait.  But most of all, we’re proud of our friend Jim Miller.

Run, Jim Miller, run!

For more information:

Boston Athletic Association: http://www.baa.org (Race info, participant information, sights and sounds of previous races, history, map of route, etc.)

Articles:

“Bags, strollers, unregistered runners not welcome at this year’s Boston Marathon.” CNN U. S. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/27/us/boston-marathon-banned-items/

“Boston Public Library hosts exhibit marking anniversary of marathon bombings.” Providence Journal.  Retrieved from http://www.providencejournal.com/features/lifestyle/travel/20140413-boston-public-library-hosts-exhibit-marking-anniversary-of-marathon-bombings.ece

Breaking down the Boston Marathon by the numbers.” Boston Magazine.  Retrieved from http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2014/04/14/boston-marathon-economic-boost/

Videos:

“Jim Miller wants you to run the Boston Marathon with him.” YouTube.  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIXlE6tWFiQ

“NH native ready for his 100th marathon.” WMUR. Retrieved from http://www.wmur.com/sports/NH-native-ready-for-his-100th-marathon/25201954

YouTube: (Training Clinics, Videos of past races, etc.) https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBostonMarathon

Social Media: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBostonMarathon

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/rushasams/boston-marathon-2014/

Twitter: @bostonmarathon