Boston Marathon Virtual Experience

By Tom O’Grady

Few races can capture the essence of distance running in the way that the Boston Marathon can, from the elite level athlete all the way to the casual spectator. After the marathon received revived attention following the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, the Boston Athletic Association held the first race in April of 1897. In the ensuing 123 years the Boston Marathon has become a staple of Patriots’ Day, observed on the third Monday in April. As one of the oldest and most prestigious races in the world, part of the allure of Boston Marathon is its strict qualifying standards and its quirky, point-to-point course. 

Each year participants start on a short but steep net elevation drop, which begs you to go out faster than you’re capable of, and gently beats your quads up enough so that after emerging from Heartbreak Hill those same legs will feel like jelly. On their way, participants pass through the famed wall of screams up and over Heartbreak Hill, and then are blasted by the electrifying roar thousands of spectators as they make the final turns – “right on Hereford, left on Boylston.” 

This year the experience, which is nearly indescribable to those who have not experienced the race first-hand, was postponed and ultimately cancelled for the first time. To keep the spirit of the race alive, registrants could bring the experience “home” and compete in the Boston Marathon “Virtual Experience” from September 5-14.

Kristen Hislop of Clifton Park, ran with several athletes she coaches as well as her husband and two friends on bike duty. “The change impacted everyone but many found a silver-lining in the community aspect. 2020 has sucked so when Boston was canceled, I thought about letting it go, but running is about the people. I did the virtual Boston and what a great decision it was as it pushed me and proved it takes a community! Today was about getting 26.2 miles, celebrating that we can do it, and enjoying every minute.” 

Runner safety has been an important part of Boston and the attention to safety took on a new meaning after the tragic terrorist bombings in 2013. This year, the threat to athletes came as novel virus spreading rapidly around the world, and it took a toll on our health infrastructure. In mid-March many individuals took the quarantine in stride and assumed after two weeks that things would go back to business as usual. It quickly became apparent that this wasn’t the case as every major public event had been postponed or canceled. In an attempt to keep with tradition, B.A.A. with the City of Boston announced that Patriots’ Day and the Boston Marathon would be held in-person on Monday, Sept. 14. Weeks after, when the true toll of the pandemic became apparent, it was announced that the race will be held as a virtual event.

For Bob Radliff of Stillwater, the race was about maintaining training and finishing injury free, in preparation of running their first in-person Boston when the race is held again. “Running Boston has been a goal of mine for some time. In two previous entries, I overtrained and couldn’t run due to injuries. Completing the virtual Boston has been semi-satisfying. It’s nice to finally have a Boston in the books, but I still yearn for the full experience, and entire end-to-end journey. This season’s virtual runs have encouraged us to pick our own paths. Running in our local parks and on our off-road trails has reminded me once again how much these simple trails improve our overall quality of life. Despite all of this year’s unique challenges I remain grateful to have had the opportunity, and the ability, to run the 2020 Boston Marathon.” Bob finished in 3:01 for his Boston and was near the top-15 of the 55-59 age group.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic the threat of physical illness and economic ruin have been at the forefront of many family’s minds and many people’s outlook regarding the necessity, and fragility, of physical and mental health took on an entirely new meaning. The simple act of putting on a pair of sneakers and going out for a run has a profound impact on your spirits and having a race, even if virtual, on the calendar as motivation through the dark times likely served as a beacon for many. For me personally it took some time to digest how to proceed and it’s likely everyone’s circumstances helped guide their decision to participate. It was important for me to run and stay healthy. I decided early on to not train at the same level I would normally approach the race with, and my primary goal would be to make it to September healthy, and ready to finish the marathon in a respectable time.

For some perennial top age group finishers, including Karen Dolge of Valatie, the community aspect and weather created a unique and enjoyable atmosphere. “Aside from running the actual Boston Marathon, I think this is by far the best marathon experience out of the 34 that I have completed. I wanted to replicate Boston as much as possible, including some hills, make the best of the situation and enjoy it, but really hope we are back next year! What made this the best experience, besides the perfect weather, was running in my community with close friends and family. I had Kinderhook Runners Club friends running with me the whole way and the route was familiar.”

During the process of preparing for the virtual event I had several moments to help frame my overall perspective. The first came in May when I received a coaching request from an individual who wanted to complete a marathon in August to stay motivated physically and challenge themselves on their 35th birthday. This out-of-the blue request reminded me that the journey for this September’s virtual Boston was as much a personal one as it was about participating in the greater event. I diligently followed my own advice through the summer and the second major motivator came on Sept. 7th, when Bob Radliff a 56-year-old athlete I coach, knocked it out of the park and nearly broke three hours on his own virtual Boston. After I decided to register for the virtual Boston, there were several times I thought, “I may just run the race for the fun of it.” But after seeing people holding themselves accountable, I decided on race week it was go-time. 

Dan Larsen, 68, of Queensbury’s quest for 50 consecutive Boston Marathons was delayed due to the virus, but he completed this year’s virtual race on Sept. 5 in 4:38 (his PR is 2:27 in 1978). “I did a 4.4-mile out/back loop at our camp on Palisades Road in Brant Lake, with family and neighbors cheering, and Adirondack Runners club friends pacing me. I guess I’m an exercise addict, but I try to put the marathon in perspective, and keep it fun.” The retired medical doctor, and Scotia-Glenville High School XC runner, had his traditional rice dinner the night before – and wore his Yale track singlet as he’s done every year! Dan is one of three living people in the 50-year streak club, probably fourth on the list – including the legendary Johnny Kelley.

Although I have run marathon distances in training leading up to past events, I fully appreciate the logistics that go into running a race effort. Luckily, in the Capital Region there are many potential spots to run a marathon. We’re also fortunate to have more than one certified course within driving distance, so like others, I utilized the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon route that runs from Schenectady to Albany along the bike path. On Sept. 12, I set out from Schenectady’s Central Park. One of the most difficult tasks was to get into the race mindset and tell myself that I would stay in that state of mind for a little over two-and-a-half hours, alone. Once I got around Duck Pond, I felt good and then just tried to stay in the zone and focus on the task at hand. Despite the early morning start, navigating the early portion of the course was a little tricky on city streets.

Once I was on the bike path section, I did what I normally do when I’m running alone – I tried to relax my mind just enough so I could think when I needed to, distract myself, and snap back to attentiveness when something warranted. After descending the hill near Blatnick Park, the first thing I noticed was a fellow runner I knew who was completing her own virtual Boston. It was uplifting seeing someone else on the course and I wondered how many people would be out there.

Martha DeGrazia of Slingerlands, who’s run Boston 16 times and is a competitive age-group finisher, ran it mostly on the Mohawk Hudson Bike-Hike Trail, Sept. 5. She did it with her friend and fellow Willow Street AC teammate, Colleen Brackett of Guilderland – it would have been her third Boston. Martha shared, “We did it as a long training run, point-to-point to represent the Boston route, while sharing memories of points of interest along the famous course. My longest training run was only 12 miles, but didn’t care about time because we wanted to be part of the Boston tradition and 124th running of the iconic race.”

I let my mind go back to the first Boston I ran in 2008 – a lot had changed in 12 years. I thought about the historic inferno that was Boston 2012, which I missed because of illness. Runners that year experienced the worst heat Patriots’ Day could dish out, and many probably felt like Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley as they nearly killed each other attempting to win the 1982 “Duel in the Sun.” That race was certainly a difficult one, but Salazar won in a course record time. The Boston Marathon adjusted its practices that year and made the start time earlier to protect runners from the mid-day heat extremes.

I saw another fellow runner and this one was also female. Two women I knew over the span of two miles running their own virtual Boston Marathons! That made me think of the current unrest we’re seeing in society and the 1960s, when Bobbi Gibb’s snuck onto the course as an unofficial bandit and Kathrine Switzer officially entered as “K. Switzer” and wore a bulky, hooded sweatsuit to disguise her sex. Those acts of defiance caused the Boston Marathon to adjust, and finally allow women participants, and paved the way for a generation of female distance runners to take to the streets.

I thought back to participating in 2013 and 2014, which were big years for me personally and for the race, because of the tragic terrorist bombings in 2013. In 2014, Boston tightened security to better protect the safety of runners and spectators. The power of the city prevailed so 2014 saw record attendance, intense competition in the top spots, and fittingly Meb Keflezighi defied age to become the first-American victor in 30 years! 

John Slyer of Averill Park and his friend, Brian Coyne of Albany, ran their virtual Boston together on Sept. 13. John stated, “Friends and family were motivating us and provided support on the Mohawk Hudson Marathon course. It may have been my longest marathon but I finished it. I’m looking forward to Boston 2021 now!”

Shortly before Colonie Town Park, I met up with Shenendehowa varsity athlete, Nathan Brimhall, who would be my running partner over the next 13.1 miles (he ran a 1:18 half), and I continued ticking off miles. Around the 18-mile mark, after crossing the train tracks in Cohoes, I proclaimed “We beat the trains,” only to be told by my wife after finishing that there had been a slow train crossing shortly before I arrived, and she had a tense couple minutes in the car hoping I wouldn’t be held up. The next few miles flowed with relative ease, but the fatigue began to set in, and I thought about how nice a day it was to run a marathon. The Boston Marathon weather in four of the five years between 2015-2019 had been awful. The winners of 2018 demonstrated true grit as they navigated cold temperatures, blistering wind, and torrential downpours. I watched on TV as Desiree Linden persevered and finally captured her own title, to become the first American woman to win the event since 1985! 

Then with a slight fade I made it to Albany’s Corning Preserve in 2:38:53. In addition to being happy it felt a little eerie; no fanfare and just the quiet solitude of an emptied city on a crisp September morning in upstate New York. And that reminded of Sept. 11th and how perfect that morning was and the eerie silence of the days that followed. 

I was lucky to be participating in the Boston Marathon on a perfect crisp late-summer morning in September, and it felt like an act of humanity that so many people throughout the world were trying to accomplish the same task, despite a global pandemic that had brought much of the world to its knees over the previous months – and all the other factors that are impacting society. It seemed like a sign of perseverance and it demonstrated just another way the Boston Marathon has adjusted to the demands placed on it over 124 years.

The Boston Marathon Virtual Experience had 15,972 participants from 83 countries completing the 26.2-mile race and earned their unicorn medal to be recognized as a Boston Marathon finisher. The Boston Athletic Association, and the virtual volunteer challenge, donated $113,000 to the Boston Resiliency Fund to support Covid-19 response efforts. For ten days the spirit of the Boston Marathon was ever-present around the world as participants rose to the challenge!

Tom O’Grady, Ph.D., M.P.H. of Slingerlands is a public health professional and researcher who’s also a NASM certified personal trainer and a USATF Level 1 and VdotO2 certified run coach. For more info on training or coaching, email ogrady.strategies@gmail.com or visit ogradystrategies.com.