26 Miles to Boston
When I was 12 years old I finally learned how to ski. I remember very little of that day. I know where I went and I know I fell more times than I could possibly count, but what I remember most about my first time skiing was that night. While lying in bed and tying to fall asleep, I kept waking up with tightened legs and clenched fists, as if I were skiing again in my sleep. This happened to me again when I first learned to ice climb and again after my first flying lesson.
Why do I bring this up? Because after reading a few chapters of this book I experienced the same phenomenon. I often read when I cannot sleep because it tends to make me drowsy, but this book not only kept me riveted, it made me feel as if I were running the Boston Marathon (something I have yet to do). I ended up staying awake much later than I had hoped and as I was reading it I felt my leg muscles tighten as if I were running along with the author.
26 Miles to Boston is written by Michael Connelly, a novice runner, who enters a pact to run the 100th marathon with two friends 6 months before the annual April event. At this point he cannot run a mile without stopping and has a debilitating cardiac dysrhythmia known as Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. He not only has to train for the race, but he has to undergo a potentially life threatening cardiac procedure before he can seriously begin his running.
The book is divided in 26.2 chapters and each chapter discusses what the author experienced during the corresponding mile of the race. He does a marvelous job of interweaving historical footnotes into each chapter. The text is peppered with quotes from the Boston greats - think John “the Elder” Kelly, Bill Rodgers, Uta Pippig, Joan Benoit, and Geoff Smith. He sings the praises of the Boston tradition, but also delivers a fair handed criticism of the Boston Athletic Association’s more infamous moments - think Rosie Ruiz’s cheating and race director Jock Semple’s attempted bib swipe of K.V. Switzer (female runner when it was a boys only event) only to be tackled by her boyfriend.
As a future Boston Marathon runner (hopefully) I liked the book. Short of running the race route yourself, I can think of no better way to learn about the course. There is practical knowledge about everything from the three Newton Hills to the fact that runners shouldn’t get too excited when they pass the “Entering Boston” sign because they will soon find themselves back in Newton again before entering Boston for the final time.
A few reviewers of this book on Amazon.com and the Barnes & Noble site are highly critical of this book because the author ran this book as a “bandit.” At the time of this review, 12/15 raters on Amazon.com gave the book 4 (1 reviewer) or 5 (11 reviewers) stars. The 3 remaining raters all took exception with the author’s bandit status. I question the motives of these critics as they all made sure to mention that they had been qualifiers and not bandits. Who cares? Qualifying is one way to gain entry into Boston. Every year literally thousands and thousands of bonafide bib-wearing marathoners compete in the Boston Marathon by participating in the B.A.A’s Charity Program. Many thousand more get their bib numbers via corporate programs, running clubs, foreign tour groups, or by being picked in a lottery. In 1996, the 100th running of the Boston Marathon, there were reportedly 11,000 such runners, plus another 5,000 bandits.
If you are interested in running the Boston Marathon, ran it already, or are curious about the race’s history, you will enjoy this book. If you’re more interested in announcing to the world that you are superior because you ran a qualifying time in one of the feeder marathons, you might not. You have my respect and admiration for running quickly. Enjoy the pureness of your Boston Marathon experience and move along.
I give this book 3 1/2 out 5 stars ****
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