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Show HN: Will I run Boston 2025?

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Re: Show HN: Will I run Boston 2025?

#31

Post by chatmasta »

philipwhiuk wrote: post #21
erksa wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't answer this for everyone, but as someone who has run 5 marathons and is running my 6th in 5 weeks (Frankfurt). Boston has some kind of mythical status among marathoners. You're _not_ really there until you've qualified for Boston. I do not know where this comes from, but what I do know is that QUALIFYING for Boston as a male (33) is a BHAG that's fun to chase after. Boston is the 6th of the 6 Abbot Marathon t…

> Boston has some kind of mythical status among marathoners. You're _not_ really there until you've qualified for Boston. I do not know where this comes from It's literally because BQ is a tough target time. Even if you don't run Boston it's a mark you're in the top X% (X is a bit hard to calculate). So it's a status symbol. Just like 'Ivy League' or "D1 sport". Similarly in the UK, it's the London qualifying time kn…

> Just like 'Ivy League' or "D1 sport".

Just for the record, Ivy League is D1 sport ;)

Re: Show HN: Will I run Boston 2025?

#32

Post by tmulc »

aeyes wrote: post #26

This is the kind of information that would be better presented in a simple table. For every age group up to 60 the window between 0% and 100% chance is under 5min.

The interactive component was just there so you didn't have to compute the buffer yourself, but I see your point--thanks!

Re: Show HN: Will I run Boston 2025?

#33

Post by whatshisface »

kibwen wrote: post #30
philipwhiuk wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Boston has some kind of mythical status among marathoners. You're _not_ really there until you've qualified for Boston. I do not know where this comes from It's literally because BQ is a tough target time. Even if you don't run Boston it's a mark you're in the top X% (X is a bit hard to calculate). So it's a status symbol. Just like 'Ivy League' or "D1 sport". Similarly in the UK, it's the London qualifying time kn…

I've always thought it was a real shame that the Boston Marathon is so mythical, because there's a much more symbolic potential route: start at the Old North Church in the North End (the "one if by land, two if by sea" place), through downtown/the common/Back Bay, then take Mass Ave all the way to the Lexington Battle Green (site of the first battle of the revolution), and that's almost exactly half a marathon in dis…

An otherwise unmotivated position sustained as desirable only by the difficulty generated by the number of people trying to crowd into it serves as a deeper representation of this country than the story you're proposing to replace it with. ;)

Re: Show HN: Will I run Boston 2025?

#34

Post by [deleted] »

chatmasta wrote: post #31
philipwhiuk wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Boston has some kind of mythical status among marathoners. You're _not_ really there until you've qualified for Boston. I do not know where this comes from It's literally because BQ is a tough target time. Even if you don't run Boston it's a mark you're in the top X% (X is a bit hard to calculate). So it's a status symbol. Just like 'Ivy League' or "D1 sport". Similarly in the UK, it's the London qualifying time kn…

> Just like 'Ivy League' or "D1 sport". Just for the record, Ivy League is D1 sport ;)

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Will I run Boston 2025?

#35

Post by [deleted] »

erksa wrote: post #11
kibitzor wrote: post #7

Context for those not following running news, The Boston Marathon lowered qualifying times for most prospective runners for 2026 race [0]. Because the Boston Marathon has limited capacity, you can only run if you either: 1) raise $5k+ for a charity (limited spots) 2) run a full marathon below* a qualifying time The reason it's below* is because even if you run under a qualifying time, there may be enough people even…

I can't answer this for everyone, but as someone who has run 5 marathons and is running my 6th in 5 weeks (Frankfurt). Boston has some kind of mythical status among marathoners. You're _not_ really there until you've qualified for Boston. I do not know where this comes from, but what I do know is that QUALIFYING for Boston as a male (33) is a BHAG that's fun to chase after. Boston is the 6th of the 6 Abbot Marathon t…

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Will I run Boston 2025?

#36

Post by thenipper »

mauvehaus wrote: post #10
lilfrost wrote: post #3

It looks like my 5:32 time does not qualify me :(

I have a friend who is something like a 6-hour marathoner and has run Boston a couple times for charity. The experience is pretty subpar to hear her tell it. The college students are pretty intoxicated by that point, the organizers are starting to clean up the course and move the runners to the sidewalks, and the course is full of trash where they haven't cleaned up yet. The porta-potties don't have a lot to recommen…

I used to live on beacon st in Brookline. Every year the marathon was a nightmare. Drunk people on my stoop. Trash everywhere. It was wicked cool to see the old timers and charity runners running even after it got dark. Would always give them a big cheer as they came by.

Re: Show HN: Will I run Boston 2025?

#37

Post by mbreese »

philipwhiuk wrote: post #24
ggm wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not here to argue for not doing marathons. It's safer than walking out with a risk of thunder, its a bit less safe than walking by a bee hive. I do note that every marathon runner I know (thats about 5) carries some burdens afterward above and beyond simple post-race injury: there is an effect on your health, it's multi-dimensional, and it goes on a while. They enjoyed the run so I guess it's a fair exchange. Kno…

> I do note that every marathon runner I know (thats about 5) carries some burdens afterward above and beyond simple post-race injury: there is an effect on your health, it's multi-dimensional, and it goes on a while. They enjoyed the run so I guess it's a fair exchange. Knowing when to stop is part of the process I guess. People bucket-list it. They don't prepare properly, they train through injury because they want…

Just to concur (and I’ve run a similar number) - what I tell people that ask about my training schedule is that just running a marathon isn’t the hard part. With some training and mental effort, it can be done… but that will only get you so far.

For me, the real reason for training is so that when you’re done, you can still walk normally the next day… that you have a good experience… and that your body feels better for the effort. The training takes (a lot of) time and is hard work, but if you follow a solid training plan, your body can be well prepared for it. If you don’t train enough, you will not have a good experience. I’m about 8 weeks out from my next one and this is when the grind really starts for me. But I know that if I follow the plan, I’ll have a good experience on the day of the race (and after).

Oh, and for the record, I’m nowhere near a BQ time. :)

Re: Show HN: Will I run Boston 2025?

#38

Post by jimbob45 »

philipwhiuk wrote: post #17
khuey wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a far better death rate than the original marathon. (1 death per 1 participant according to the tale of Pheidippides.)

Yes yes, discount the fact he'd just finished a battle and ran over 100 miles to get there in the first place. > He ran about 240 km (150 mi) in two days, and then ran back. He then ran the 40 km (25 mi) to the battlefield near Marathon and back to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word νικῶμεν (nikomen[8] "We win!"), as stated by Lucian chairete, nikomen ("h…

Are those numbers even possible with the resources he’d have had at his disposal? How could he have fueled properly for that effort?

Re: Show HN: Will I run Boston 2025?

#40

Post by voidfunc »

erksa wrote: post #11
kibitzor wrote: post #7

Context for those not following running news, The Boston Marathon lowered qualifying times for most prospective runners for 2026 race [0]. Because the Boston Marathon has limited capacity, you can only run if you either: 1) raise $5k+ for a charity (limited spots) 2) run a full marathon below* a qualifying time The reason it's below* is because even if you run under a qualifying time, there may be enough people even…

I can't answer this for everyone, but as someone who has run 5 marathons and is running my 6th in 5 weeks (Frankfurt). Boston has some kind of mythical status among marathoners. You're _not_ really there until you've qualified for Boston. I do not know where this comes from, but what I do know is that QUALIFYING for Boston as a male (33) is a BHAG that's fun to chase after. Boston is the 6th of the 6 Abbot Marathon t…

Not a marathon runner but live in Boston and I have been told the route is fairly high difficulty due to hills in particularly challenging stretches. Not sure how true this is but one of my coworkers ran it competitively last year and he got wrecked by the elevation changes.
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