Boston Marathon Training, Qualification, Runners, Marathon Route And Hotels

One of the biggest events in sports is the Boston Marathon. Every year, the city of Boston comes to a stop for six hours and gathers together for the running of one of the toughest and most well known races in the world. For those interested in attending or even participating in the Boston Marathon, it is important to understand how the marathon itself works.

The Boston Marathon was first run in 1897 and is one of the oldest annual athletic competitions in the world. It features tens of thousands of runners, thousands of media, and hundreds of thousands of spectators descending on the city of Boston the third Monday of every April. Boston Marathon runners endure months of training to try to beat out the best athletes from around the world.

Prospective runners interested in marathon qualification need to first compete in one of hundreds of other marathons throughout the world recognized by the Boston Athletic Association. In addition to intensive training, they need to complete one of these marathons under a certain time limit determined by their age and gender. Competitors who are able to meet these marathon qualification standards are invited to be ranked and seeded by the BAA and compete in the Boston Marathon.

The Boston Marathon route runs 42 kilometer track from Hopkinton to Boston Street. There are many twists and turns in the marathon route, but especially dangerous are the hills. In the Newton area, halfway through the middle of the race, there are several sharp hills including the aptly named Heartbreak Hill. A lot of races have been won and lost based on a runner's ability to successfully navigate this series of inclines. Many route runners spend months training for the length and difficulty of the Boston Marathon, but hundreds, even thousands, are felled by the difficulty of the course every year.

For spectators and competitors, many area hotels offer several deals. However, these hotels fill up very fast, and must be booked months in advance, especially with the number of corporations, athletes, journalists, and race fans booking every hotel in the area. If participants can't get a room in the city of Boston, it is possible to get rooms as far away as New York or Philadelphia, and drive into the Boston area in time for the Marathon itself. However, traffic is horrible the morning of the marathon and public transit is rerouted from the area for that day. Still, if booked early enough, it is possible to get a room for as low as $70 and as much as $1,500.

The Boston Marathon is a fantastic event, and whether people attend it as spectators or as marathon runners, it can be a wonderful experience. Many people who have run the Boston Marathon as amateurs say that completing the grueling race is a life altering experience. Anyone who is capable as a runner or on a wheelchair, should be encouraged to get fit, get active, and make a trip to Boston to soak in the aura of the Boston Marathon.


Sources:
"Boston Marathon." Wikipedia. 14 June 2007. 19 June 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Marathon.
Qualifying. Boston Athletic Association. 2007. 19 June 2007. http://www.bostonmarathon.org/BostonMarathon/Quali fying.asp.
Boston Marathon Course. Boston.com. 2006. The New York Times Company.19 June 2007. http://www.boston.com/marathon/course/.
Boston Marathon Hotels. Got Hotel. 2007. 19 June 2007. http://www.gothotel.com/boston_marathon.html.