This year's Boston Marathon was a little different because it was David's first time seeing it. With our marriage last fall, we both now live together right near the route in my good old hometown of Hopkinton, where the marathon begins. So we were able to easily get a good spot along the route, less than a mile from the start line. Despite the chill in the air, which was good for the runners, it was fun to watch!
The calm before the storm...
We took some selfies while we waited. It's fun having a significant other after years of not having one!
First came the wheelchairs, handcycles, and duos, all of which are are always inspiring.
These runners run and push the wheelchair and its inhabitant the whole way. It's inspiring, and there's such great philosophical/inspirational/religious symbolism in that.
Next came the elite men, made up of world-record holders, Olympians, and the most excellent of excellent runners. 😄
I like seeing the live coverage of the race on TV a little later and recognizing the winners from seeing them earlier that day and in my pictures. The black man in the blue shorts ended up winning the whole thing.
The next wave was the elite women.
A cool military plane flew by as part of the festivities.
Then came the para division, which is always a tearjerker for me.
A blind athlete with a guide
And finally, the first of several waves of all the rest of the runners started...tens of thousands of them (over 25,000!).
Filling in more...
Everyone cheers the runners on, and it's such a good time!
We tried to take some selfies with the wave of runners in the back, with varying results:
The road was totally filled with runners by this point!
This is how side roads to the route are blocked off so that cars can't get through.
Here are some of David's pictures. From this first one, it looks like a normal spring morning, nothing special. Who would ever guess that ~25,000 runners were lined up nearby, getting ready to run one of the world's hardest marathons?
I enjoy ringing the cowbell for the runners.
I crack myself up
I hope we'll be back again for next year's race—it's such a fun and inspiring tradition!
