RockStars of Running

I really look forward to the BAA 5K. There used to be an unofficial “fun Run” the day before the marathon, but in 2009, they made it an official 5K with entry fees, t-shirts and medals. So, Laura got to run in the inaugural BAA 5K, and this will be her third, just like my third Boston marathon. With the streets closed off to traffic, but without the intense marathon security and crowds, it is a chance to soak up the finish line atmosphere up close – kind of like backstage at a dress rehearsal before the opening of a Broadway show. I stake out a spot in the bleachers near the finish line. I can visualize my finish tomorrow, and see the start and spots along the course on the JumboTron.


With 6,000 people, it is a huge race, with a pretty good elite field. They actually have a wheelchair field, which is the first time I have seen that in a 5K, but they are here for the marathon, so why not. The Boylston street start is pretty wide, but there is a mix of casual runners and walkers and Boston Qualifiers who are tuning up for the next day, which can be pretty fast. There are a lot of turns and a couple of particularly steep hills around Boston common going up to Beacon Hill. Laura actually PR’d her 5K in this race a couple of years ago, but she has had a bad blister on her foot, so she scaled back her runs the last few weeks.

The race starts, and they have professional announcers doing the race, giving the background of the racers, like that one of the leading women is married to a top men’s marathoner, and they are one of the fastest marathon couples in the world. Desiree Davila of the Brooks Hanson Running team and last year’s second place Women’s Boston finisher (with the fastest time ever for an American women) is one of the ‘rock stars’, but not one of the favorites.

The first place finisher comes in with a solid lead. He is a past winner of the race, and was born in the New England area. What is great about the race is that is part of the BAA Distance Medley they just started this year. A 5K, 10K and Half marathon at different times of the year. You sign up for all 3, and the cumulative times determine the standings - and the winner of a $100,000 prize. So, even after the first three finishers are in, the next 5 or 10 do not let up, because they could make it up in the longer distance.

Laura came in strong in the 25 minute range, looking strong, passing people. I knew it would not beat her PR, the filed was more crowded, it was a little warmer, and she has had issues with blisters on her feet. I met her by the finish line, and she said when saw the splits, her first mile was 10 minutes, and her second mile was 7 minutes, but that caught up with her, and she slowed down to an 8:30.

Even though our hotel wasn’t close by, it was easy for Laura to blend in with hundreds of other runners and go into a hotel lobby and use the bathroom to clean up and change in to dry clothes (it was a Westin, which is the chain we stayed at). The rest of the day’s events were like a running festival. Laura joined me in the stands, and I showed her messages I had texted to the JumboTron text crawl “LauraN –Run Like a Girl!” “Love to Laura from Tom”. Just my way of telling her she’s number one to me, even if she doesn’t place in her age group like she does most times in small races back home.

We watched male and female races at 3 levels:

• Middle School Invitational 2K

• High School Invitational Mile

• Elite Invitational Mile

For the schoolkids, they had 2 boys and 2 boys from each of the eight towns on the Boston marathon route. The 2K was 2 laps around the city block in front of us. The mile was 3 laps. There were family members of some of the kids in the bleachers around us, and you could just tell how proud they were and excited to see their kids and grandkids in this worldclass setting. It reminded me of the joy of seeing our son Ross in thrilling high school football playoff games. I have heard someone comment that what American track and distance running is missing is the ‘rock star’ popularity that the team sports, especially football and basketball garner. In some European countries, track meets and distance races are big events for the community, and the kids get a lot of attention. I guess that would might foster more talent in running, but maybe it would be at a cost of the groundedness and humility that runners seem to have. Yes, there are scholarships, prize money and endorsements, but you have to start out willing to train, loving to run and compete. On our way back from Chicago, we met some guys at the airport from Louisville Kentucky. They said that the men’s winner, Joseph Korir (2:12) went to their church in Louisville. He ran for University of Louisville, worked as a janitor at the school while he worked his way up the distance racing circuit. He was not allowed into the elite field in the 2011 Chicago marathon, but he placed 4th anyhow. He was using his winnings to fund a medical center in his village in Kenya. They chatted with him over the weekend, and were very proud. That is what is awesome about marathoning – the accessibility of the athletes, and the motivation they bring to their races, so it makes them rockstars to me.  And I have to say, from the comments and congratulations from people in my running and triathlon club, I feel like a rockstar in those circles.