Remembering the epic 100th Boston Marathon …

With the 125^th Boston Marathon being run today (Oct. 11, 2021) --- the first marathon since the 2019 race due to multiple postponements and last year’s cancellation and decision to hold it virtually --- I thought I’d share this column that was published April 19, 2006, two days after the 110^th marathon was held two days earlier.
The runners who flock to Boston annually from across the globe and country to run this historic race are a special breed, and no more so than this year. They had to maintain their training for two years despite all of the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, and couldn’t be certain that the 2021 race would actually go off on time.
But thanks to the perseverance of the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) and the cooperation of thousands of government, health and public safety officials, today’s race became a reality.
Enjoy this look-back on the 100^th race, viewed 10 yeas later.
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This column was published April 19, 2006, in The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA.

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Ten years ago, almost 40,000 runners toed the line at Hopkinton for the 100th edition of the Boston Marathon. The weather was almost identical to Monday, in the lows 50s and sunny, ideal weather for running, though a little cool for spectators.
Like Monday, the vast majority of runners in the 100th race had no chance of winning, but they did not mind. Thousands ran to raise money for various charitable causes, and thousands others ran to improve their times or to meet their goal of running the Boston Marathon.
It's safe to say that the vast majority of the non-elite runners ran to soak up the unique experience of being a part of the most historical foot race in the world. For runners, nothing quite compares with covering the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston on Patriots Day, and every step should be savored.
Surely, the 100th marathon was that. Although my “ net” time — the time it took me from the point of crossing the starting line to the finish line (many people waited up to 30 minutes from the noon start to cross the starting line) — was a tad under 5 hours, it remains one of my best running experiences.
I entered the race as one of the thousands of runners whom the Boston Athletic Association had let in via a lottery. Our BAA numbers made us legal — we were not bandits, runners without numbers who line up at the end of the starting line in Hopkinton and run the race unofficially — but neither were we embraced by the running community, many of whom deeply resented our appearance in the race.
Those who scoffed at the lottery entrants thought we had cheapened or demeaned the race, but that perception couldn't have been further from the truth. We lottery runners trained hard, logging hundreds of miles during what turned out to be the snowiest winter on record in the Boston area — the Attleboros recorded more than 100 inches of snow — so we wouldn't disgrace ourselves.
Race day dawned on a divinely perfect day for running as April 15, 1996, was book-ended by rain the day before and by heavy rain the day after. Despite worries about whether the larger field of runners would have an adverse impact on the race, there were no major problems reported.
That centennial Boston marathon was the 17th marathon I had run in a 20-year span. I finished all but one of them, several faster than that Boston race, including three New York City marathons. But none gave me more satisfaction, or produced as many long-term memories, as did the Boston centennial event.
Being in that race was one of the highlights of my 31 consecutive years running, but truthfully my daily runs remain a highlight. Running alternately wakes me up, helps me organize my day and keeps me fit — physically, mentally and spiritually. A few years ago, running helped me get back on track and drop a ton of weight when I had turned into a very fat person.
Those who ran Monday's 110th race will take away their own memories that will stay with them through all their daily runs — memories that will help them deal with the strange, wacky things that can happen during training runs.
While running the last 31 years, I've been bitten by dogs three times, and have had both objects and words hurled at me by drivers. I've been asked for directions more than any tour guide, and have been sworn at by drivers who obviously think runners are out there as their personal GPS devices when I tell these drivers that I've never heard of the street to which they're asking directions.
I've also had snowballs tossed at me in Attleboro, I've been sworn at and honked at all over the place, and I've had a tractor-trailer driver deliberately lurch his rig at me while running on a side street in West Palm Beach, Fla.
That less than sterling record on the roads is why people whom I know think I'm snubbing them when I ignore their waves or honks. But in order to survive on the roads, I long ago decided that is the best way to handle passing motorists.
On the other hand, during a race, it's humbling and heartwarming to get positive feedback and applause from runners and other people, and nowhere is that in evidence more than in Boston. The crowd's response 10 years ago still fuels my desire to run and race, and continues to motivate runners year round.