In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, I wrote down some of my thoughts about the event (Boston Marathon Bombing — And the Lives We Lead), since the race is one of my favorites.  One of those thoughts, at the end, was this:

Some psychotic(s) want to affect the rest of us by terrorism. But I’m not interested in losing my fond memories, or stopping the creation of new ones.

This guest post below addresses that very theme; it was an essay written by my running club president Steven Stein for our weekly newsletter, which went out last night.  Last weekend he ran a race in Central Park and noticed that things had changed. A lot.

Since Stein grew up outside the U.S. he brings a perspective different than most to the concepts of freedom and security. It is reprinted here with his permission:
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Jeff Bauman in the hospital after the Boston Marathon bombing

Jeff Bauman is in the picture to the right. He is in the news right now because he had the great misfortune of being near one of the Boston Marathon bombs.

In the picture Bauman is smiling and giving a thumb’s up. He is also missing both of his legs. Actor Bradley Cooper is to the left and New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (who tweeted the picture) is to the right.

As soon as he woke up in the hospital, he asked for pen and paper to write that he saw the bomber and then went on to help the FBI.

I bring this smile photo up today because, over the years, I’ve covered several rulings by courts that deal with defense attorneys asking to fish through the Facebook and other social media sites of plaintiffs. They ask to fish because the plaintiff is smiling in a photo and claim that the smile is inconsistent with suffering.

Here are two examples: In Davids v. Novartis,  drug-maker Novartis went fishing on the basis of a smile in a photograph and Magistrate Judge Williams D. Wall slapped it down, writing, “is not clear to the court, one picture of Plaintiff smiling does not contradict her claim of suffering, nor is it sufficient evidence to warrant a further search into Plaintiff’s account.”

By contrast, a Suffolk County judge permitted access to Facebook based on the same theory, writing in Romano v. Steelcase:

In this regard, it appears that plaintiff’s public profile page on Facebook shows her smiling happily in a photograph outside the confines of her home despite her claim that she has sustained permanent injuries and is largely confined to her house and bed. (see also, in contrast,  Eric Goldman’s commentary on the Romano photo)

Perhaps future courts will take note of the picture of Bauman, with a smile and a thumb’s up, to note that a smile in a snapshot does not magically mean everything is well.

As Bauman makes abundantly clear in this picture, people can smile for a multitude of reasons. It may be because they are happy to be alive. Or because someone said something humorous, even at a funeral. Or simply because of instinct when someone lifts a camera and hollers, “Say cheese.”

Judges and practitioners, please take note.

Updated (4/26/13) – Another smile, this time from bombing victim Heather Abbott. One week after the bombing, she had her leg amputated. Prior attempts to surgically repair the leg had failed.

Three days after the amputation she appeared at a press conference. And smiled. You can see her expression here.

A smile may mean many things.

I wish I could say that I was shocked by the explosions that rocked the Boston Marathon on Monday. But I wasn’t . Appalled, disgusted, and cringing for others, yes, but shocked, no.

Since 2001 I have long expected that a major road race would eventually be a target. It is, quite frankly, too easy. A 26.2 mile race course is unsecurable. Boston’s marathon has 500,00 spectators and New York has two million. Those spectators are a large part of what makes such events magnificent pieces of urban theatre.

Do the risks of such events mean that we should not create them or participate?

In 2001 the fires were still burning at the wrecked World Trade Center when 25,000 runners stormed over the Verrazano Bridge to start New York. I was one of them. If not for the attack, I would have deferred my entry due to injury. But the thought of canceling vanished from my mind when I learned the race was going forward; it was better to run slowly than not run at all.

Each of us, runner and spectator alike, knew back then that we wore bulls eyes on our shirts. Yet the crowds were as large as I’ve ever seen. It was important to both commemorate those that had been killed as well as the vitality of lives that we had.

If we want to live in a free society we have to accept such risks. The alternative is unacceptable. Since the September 11 attack I’ve run a dozen races with fields of 15,000+  in New York, Boston and Washington DC, the last of which was the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in the capital last week.

The only acceptable response is to continue on with life, to enjoy what you enjoy doing. Cowering is not an option. I don’t believe that the families of those killed and those injured would want to cede freedom to fear.

Boston Marathon finish line in the winter.
Photo credit: Me.

One point on the bombing that I did want to mention: Unless there was a certain significance to the date, I  think New York might have been the original target and that after the race was canceled due to hurricane Sandy the attack was moved to Boston.Why? Because the bombs went off at 4:09 into the race. (That time is based on the first of three waves of runners, each 20 minutes apart.)

While 4:09 would be ahead of the mid-pack of New York (average time in 2009 was 4:24), it is the back end of the pack for Boston runners. That is because the vast majority get into Boston based on strict qualifying times (average finishing time in 2010 was 3:50), while New York stresses a more democratic lottery system. One of the great allures of Boston is not just its age, but the fact that it is merit-based.

Those in the back of the pack, the ones mostly affected here, were running for charities or sponsors, who didn’t get in based on the swiftness of their legs.

The timing of the bombs is significant because they not only affect those in the immediate vicinity (mostly spectators), but they create city-wide chaos since an army of people are still running toward the spots when it happens.

Attacking the back of the Boston race is much different than attacking the front of New York. While in Boston 17,000 had already finished the race from a starting field of 23,000, in New York most would have been behind the bombing and the starting field would have been almost 50,000. Instead of six thousand Boston runners, it would have been tens of thousands of New York runners. Trying to stop such an event on the fly is a daunting concept, to say the least. And reconnecting each of these people to items that they had checked in bags at the start (hotel keys, car keys, phones to connect with family, money for transportation, etc.) would be a logistical nightmare.

On a final note, the graphic I choose to use here is not one of blood and fear, but a simple photo of the finish line that I shot in December 2008 out the hotel window of the Charlesmark Hotel that sits over the finish line. I wish to remember the excitement that leads up to running one of these races and to remember Boston as I had run it the first time.

Some psychotic(s) want to affect the rest of us by terrorism. But I’m not interested in losing my fond memories, or stopping the creation of new ones.

Remember those killed and injured. Honor them in a manner that you believe is appropriate. Then lace up the sneakers and go for a run, and live the life that you want to lead regardless of those that wish to stand in the way.

The fire truck that led us into Newtown turned on its speakers. And out came a mournful rendition of Amazing Grace on the bagpipes. I stood this past Saturday with 120 other runners, and headed into town. We were a mile or two away, and we ran slowly toward its center.

We had gathered on the edge of town after running from Roxbury, 12 miles or so from Newtown, to pay our respects, to donate money, and then leave without overstaying our welcome.

While we had the support of local officials for our fundraiser, and the Roxbury fire department had escorted us the whole way, lights blazing, we still didn’t know what to expect in a town overwhelmed with grief, memorials, and visitors. Many, many visitors.

Where is the line between honoring the memories of innocent lives and showing support, and the uncomfortable feeling that some may view outsiders as participating in a morbid sort of tourism? That line, of course, is unknown, as it resides in the ever-shifting sands of emotion within each of us. That which is acceptable and welcome to one may be unacceptable and unwelcome to another.

The run — not a race — was organized by Brian Vanderheiden, a local runner living just eight miles away. He gathered friends in the area, centered around a vibrant running community in Roxbury, and then invited others from the outside to join him. On short notice in a grief-stricken week, he and a supporting crew put this together.

It was cold and cloudy when we left the park that was our staging area, with an ever-so-light sprinkling of fresh snow giving a bucolic covering to the farms and fields on rolling hills that we ran past. We chatted as we went, green and white ribbons flapping in the wind, all the while wondering and worrying about what awaited us.

Losing innocent adults to a hail of gunfire is awful enough, but what is the right thing when a child is lost? What is there to say to the family? To do? On NPR, Linton Weeks discusses that very subject, knowing from tragic experience, having lost two sons in 2009 to an out-of-control  tractor-trailer that crashed into their stopped car. He has much to say, even if there might be little to say for the friends, neighbors and others trying to provide support.

As 120 runners approached town in unison, pulling hats from heads and choking up, a few on the sidewalks gave a gentle applause of acknowledgment. Homeowners on nearby porches gave a thumb’s up. A couple of drivers going the other way on our road stopped to say thanks.

The town was filled to the gills with makeshift memorials that would crack the soul of any that breathe. There may easily be a thousand or more stuffed animals within them, along with all manner of flowers, candles, Christmas trees, stockings, personal notes and letters and more. A giant broken heart sits by the firehouse inscribed with the names of those lost. A group of leather-clad bikers walked by, among those paying respects for an incomprehensible tragedy.

One person in our runner’s group wrote on Facebook about the reaction she had received:

At the finish a friend and I were approached by three teenage girls who thanked us for what we did today.

I don’t know what we did, but they were in tears.

Life doesn’t always present us with clear choices on which road to take, as the potential choices may defy empirical analysis. We cannot always appreciate how others will view our actions. We go sometimes with our gut, and we hope for the best.

I assume that my readers know already, as this is the type of news that flies quickly around the web, that the NYC Marathon was cancelled. And that this cancellation came just hours after Mayor Michael Bloomberg had reiterated his position that the marathon would go forward. Will there be legal fallout (a/k/a lawsuits) over that decision?

When the decision was first made about the race going forward, there was one key point in my mind: Would any resources be diverted from those hit hard by the tsunami of water that was Hurricane Sandy? If the answer is yes, then you don’t run the race. You just don’t let people struggle any longer than necessary to put on the event. An emergency had been declared, the race would be cancelled and that would be that. Those that paid money for airlines, hotels and whatnot would have to fend for themselves with any trip insurance that they might have had, if any, but that is life for things we lawyers like to call Acts of God. This certainly qualifies.

But if the answer was no, that the city had sufficient resources to cover the race logistics and handle the areas most badly affected, then you can consider putting on the event. Reasonable minds may differ over whether it should go forward, but logistically it could take place.

Mayor Bloomberg, however, has now done something odd. He said New York City had enough resources to put the race on, and said repeatedly that it would go on, and then reversed course.

But he didn’t reverse course because the city needed those extra cops, according to this statement. He cancelled because it was politically unpopular. His statement was released jointly with the New York Road Runners Club, but whether there are sufficient police to staff the marathon and handle the disaster is obviously a city decision, not a Road Runners decision. The joint statement read (and note my highlights in the middle):

“The Marathon has been an integral part of New York City’s life for 40 years and is an event tens of thousands of New Yorkers participate in and millions more watch. While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division. The marathon has always brought our city together and inspired us with stories of courage and determination. We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it. We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event — even one as meaningful as this — to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track.

So what of those that relied on his comments to come to the city from overseas, of which they anticipated about 20,000? And those that traveled here from distant states?

If he canceled because he underestimated the needs of the police, that would be one thing. Things can change in a state of emergency as officials try hard to gain as much information as possible from broken information systems. If there was an understaffing possibility, he could have, and should have, hedged. He should have ‘fessed up that he messed up when it came to resources.

It’s also worth noting that the ability to staff the race may not be as certain as the mayor said. Patrick J. Lynch, president of the police officers’ union said staffing was too low, with many members of the department suffering the effects of Hurricane Sandy, to hold the marathon. “We are spread far too thin fighting crime, terrorism and the effects of this disaster,” Mr. Lynch said in a statement.

I’ve never heard of such a circumstance before, and the lack of precedent opens the door to the inevitable: Those that spent money relying on assurances the event would go forward only to have it canceled because it was a politically unpopular decision, may be angry.

Finish line, 2010, with my kids

Long time readers know, of course, that this is one of my favorite races,  I currently appear in ads for one of the sponsors, once did a Blawg Review based on it and had a letter published in the New York Times regarding it. If you have an interest in suing, in other words, don’t call me. I’m not  your man and that isn’t what I use this blog for.

But I have to think that, due to the way Bloomberg fumbled this situation and people lost money relying on his assurances, that someone may try to hold him (or the New York Road Runners, of which I’m a member) accountable.

Donations to those in need can be made here:

Red Cross, Greater New York Region

New York Road Runners

Updated 11/7/12 - Two articles worth mentioning: The first is from Runner’s World discussing the potential legal implications of canceling the event, whether this represents a breach of contract, and whether the “no refund” policy was prominent and clear:

While runners wait to hear what the New York Road Runners will do regarding entry fees for this year’s canceled marathon, some have wondered how a court of law would view the matter.

(In that same vein, I just created a page on the no refund policy for my own race on the Paine to Pain site that will be linked to the home page for next year’s event.)

The second article comes from the New York Times, discussing the hostility that exists for some runners over the late cancellation of the race. It should be noted, of course, that while some are hostile, many others agreed with the decision to cancel. And some who had planned to run with mixed feelings were actually relieved at the decision.

The pictures in this blog are real. They are not Photoshopped. It is not part of an Internet meme. It is not April Fool’s Day.

Yes, that is my face on a billboard to your right. It is in Columbus Circle, in the Time Warner Center.

The first indication that my mug was staring out at others came Friday night, when my niece stumbled across it and texted me:

Am I crazy, or is this you?!

I assured her that the face — an ASICS ad produced in conjunction with the NYC Marathon — was in fact mine.

The first time that picture was used was on this blog, two years back, when I did an off-topic post on the race. ASICS then stumbled across it and asked for rights to the photograph.

It is the best picture ever taken of me, which I know because pics of me usually suck so my choices are limited. But this one was different. I was in the family reunion area after I had just run the race of my life at age 50. My eight-year-old son had borrowed a camera from my brother  (the same one with the  Antonin “There is no right to secede” Scalia letter). The lighting was overcast, which means perfect. The equipment was top notch, with great resolution. And I was looking down at a cute kid holding that big camera. He’s the little kid in the orange and black jacket in this picture. I felt good. Click.

In late August an email came that I almost deleted as spam from Vitro Agency:

We are working on a project for the 2012 NYC Marathon on behalf of our client ASICS.  We are looking for inspirational photos of runners who have completed the marathon to use in some of our marketing materials for this year’s race.  We found the attached photo on your blog and think it would work well with the other images we are using.

I thought it a joke but responded, and a deal was very quickly struck after a few minor edits to the contract. My son, who was the photographer, would get the money. Vitro was a lot easier to work with, I might add, than Oprah Winfrey. When Harpo Productions tried to license some x-rays that I have for an Oprah show, the negotiations were a comical disaster. Oprah, it seemed clear, suceeded despite the staff she’d hired.

I assumed my picture would be one out of a hundred that Vitro would kick around and ultimately reject in favor of others.  Boy, was I wrong. And I knew I was wrong when my brother called me Saturday night, just 12 hours before a trail race that I created was set to go, to tell me my face was on the side of a bus. A bus. He snapped the photo you see here. I was larger than life. My wife told me she had never seen me turn beet red before, as I looked at the picture my brother had emailed us. She and the kids were hysterical with laughter. As was I.

Further sightings have now occurred, another bus in Brooklyn and this much larger display in the Time Warner Center. Even if you wanted to draw a mustache on me, you would need a ladder to get there.

Mrs. NYPILB (she loves that acronym!) is now looking up in the air for blimps. She feels like she’s in the middle of a Seinfeld episode.

The only remaining question is, how the hell we’re going to get my swelled head out the door.

Update: OK, things just got a wee bit freakier. It seems my picture is now on the back cover of the New York Road Runner’s marathon edition of their magazine. I’ve received word from several runner friends that it started landing in mailboxes today.  Can you imagine if I used Foursquare to “check in” at my locations?  I’m on 45th Street. I’m on 46th. I’m on 47th. I’m in your freakin’ mailbox.

Andy Warhol once famously said that everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. But it’s starting to look like I might get 16.

Back cover of the 2012 NYC Marathon Official Program

Update #2: I finally solved the perennial October question my kids have for me; what kind of Halloween costume will I wear to take them trick or treating?  Easy. I’m going as that guy on the side of the bus.

Update #3: I finally got a copy of the magazine. Frankly, this is a photo I never would have guessed I would be taking.

Did this man run a sub-3-hour marathon?

I try to stay away from political races on this blog unless it goes to the issue of tort “reform,” which I cover often. If I get started down that road, I might never stop. But Paul Ryan, Republican Vice-Presidential candidate, may have been telling a tall tale that needs addressing here.

No, not during his speech the other night, for which he has been crucified for falsehoods and misrepresentations. I leave that to the political blogs.

But when it comes to running —  a topic I write about every so often just because I feel like it and it’s my blog and I get to do that kind of thing — the subject gets serious.

Ryan, it seems, claims to have run Grandma’s Marathon (Duluth, MN) in 1991 in under 3 hours. If true, that is a very nice athletic achievement and a race to be proud of. According to this Runner’s World story:

In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt last week, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said he’s run a sub-3:00 marathon.

In the interview, after Ryan told Hewitt that he ran in high school, Hewitt asked if Ryan still runs. Ryan replied, “Yeah, I hurt a disc in my back, so I don’t run marathons anymore. I just run ten miles or less.” When Hewitt asked Ryan what his personal best is, Ryan replied, “Under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something.”

Runner’s World,  however, says that the actual facts don’t seem to back him up. They can only find a race time of 4:01:25. That is certainly nothing to be ashamed of, but running a 4-hour marathon isn’t the same as running sub-3-hour. Not by a very long shot.

If the story is true — that is to say he never did what he said he did — then I think we have a very troubling candidate.  Telling lies in political races have come to be accepted, though the candidates and their minions should all be ashamed of doing it. But telling casual lies about your marathon time? That, my friends, is a race we take seriously.

Updated: As per Jeff Gamso in the comments, Runner’s World has now done an update after hearing from Ryan’s office and they confirm that the sub-3-hour claim was a fiction.

Verazanno-Narrows Bridge at the start of the NYC Marathon

Ahh, running and the law, my sweet spot. Before going on to read this story about the New York City Marathon, I need to tell you that I am planning to run this November for the 14th time. I once did a Blawg Review devoted to the event and had a letter published in the New York Times regarding this magnificent piece of urban theatre. My passion for the event, however, will not temper my comments here.

In the news today, the NYC Marathon decided to cancel its baggage checking at the beginning of the race. And legal problems could result by killing off a service that had been promised, and on which participants relied, when signing up for the race many months ago.

This is the way the service has worked in years past: Runners show up at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island, sitting at the base of the Verazanno-Narrows Bridge. We arrive by buses and ferry and private cars hours before the event start, because you can’t have 40-50,000 people arrive at the same time. It is a logistical issue that gets coordinated with military precision.

Runners bring many things to this village, including extra clothes to wear in the early morning November chill, as well as dry clothes for the end of the run. Many will bring disposable clothes for the start — I’ve made many a trip to the Salvation Army in the week before to buy a few items that will be discarded as the canon booms for the race’s start.

But the clothes needed for the end of the marathon are what’s really important (not to mention car/house/hotel keys, phones, cash,metro cards, etc.). Once the body cools down at the end of 26.2 you will still wearing wet clothes, socks and sneakers. Any commute longer than an hour is not something you want to be doing while dressed like that.

Because those dry clothes are so valued, runners check their bags on dozens of UPS trucks in the staging area to be reclaimed later.  And that leads to the finish area of the NYC Marathon being turned, each year, into the world’s largest locker room as runners strip down and change.

Now that service is gone, and runners are stuck in the wet, smelly clothes. If you live on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and are walking home it isn’t a big deal. But most don’t. And the only solution to the keys/phone/cash problem, is to carry them during the race, which few people really want to do.

The reason for killing off the service is that, at the end of the race in the tight confines of a Central Park roadway, it could take a good 30-45 minutes to retrieve that checked bag. The walk will be another mile, on top of the ones you just ran, as you wind your way through the finishers chute getting food, water, finisher medals, heat shields, medical attention and finally to the endless line of UPS trucks and the lines at each truck waiting for the bags.

The New York Road Runners Club, which puts on the event, has found this logistical nightmare to be too much, even when pulling trucks out of the park last year to use side streets. As they expand upwards to the 50,000 runner barrier – and perhaps beyond in the year to come — they can no longer manage. They either cap the growth of the event, or kill the baggage check.

Because they decided to kill it they will offer to the runners a one-size-fits-all fleece hooded poncho in the finish area. But that only covers up the now-disgusting clothes that are glued to the body; it doesn’t get rid of them.

Is there a legal angle here? I think so. Runners pay a hefty fee to run this race, $216 this year. And one of the things they knew they were getting was the transportation of their clothes, cell phones, wallet, etc. Some stuff can still be stuffed in pockets for those of us who are non-elite, but many really don’t want to carry anything for the race.

Does this lead to a potential consumer class action on behalf of runners? That is certainly a possibility, because they have not offered runners the option of cancelling and getting their money back due to the policy change. According to Business Week:

There will be no reimbursements for runners who don’t agree with the policy change, said Richard Finn, a spokesman for the organization.

Runners, after all, paid for one thing and will receive another. If they wanted to make this change, it was something that should have been announced before registration was opened up.

One other note on my running credentials, I’m also the founder and Race Director of a half marathon trail race just north of New York City. The idea of not having a baggage check is unthinkable to runners. We even have the showers at ours (since we finish at a High School, we use the locker room). I know what it means to runners, both as participant and race director, to have such services.

If you go to Twitter right now, you will see it lighting up with complaints. Mary Wittenberg, the CEO of the New York Road Runners (and former BigLaw attorney and marathon champ), invited comment at #NYRRListens and has been getting an earful. A few select comments:

From @ashlyntastic @INGNYCMarathon There’s nothing I dislike more than marinating in wet running clothes post race. #NYRRlistens

From @arunninglifetc This organization isn’t about serving the runners anymore, not when you don’t listen to the runners. #NYRRListens

From ‏@mldemmons SUPER excited about being soaking wet in 50+ degree weather after running 26.2 miles in November in NYC! #NYRRlistens #NoTheyDont

Someone, somewhere, may elect legal action. (And no, it won’t be me.) Whether it succeeds or not is another story, but clearly the better move would have been to implement the policy change before people started to pay their money.

Pre race mug shot - because I needed a legal angle for the blog

Yeah, it was hot out there. The average temperature for Boston this time of year is 47 degrees. And runners favor such races with temps in the high 40s – low 50s.

The temperature yesterday, however, was 87 degrees at the finish line for the 116th running of the Boston Marathon for those of us in the middle of the pack. Elsewhere it was reported to have hit 89. And that, my friends, is a whole lot of hot.

When I first wrote about the Boston Marathon in 2007 I did so to wish others well as I pined to one day run fast enough to earn my entry ticket. And when I wrote  a second time in 2009, I told my story of personal redemption after having finally qualified and run.

But this was not about redemption, or pining. There would be no eyes toward personal  bests, or running fast enough to qualify for another Boston. This was, quite simply, the meteorological luck of the draw. People had trained for months on end, had made their plans, and travelled great distances to run the premier marathon in the world that is open to amateurs.  Because after Boston in the pecking order, there is only the Olympic Trials.

And so we went, with runners going off in three waves out of the rural suburb of Hopkinton at 10:00, 10:20 and 10:40 as the the thermometer soared up to 80. Very few took up the offer of deferring until next year. There were two rules of thumb: Drink a lot and adjust your running plan, or  you would not see the finish line.

While I don’t usually take walk breaks in marathons, I knew this would be an exception. But I didn’t expect that I would take the first one after just four miles. Four miles?

And I took them every mile thereafter except for one (the last mile, which I refused to walk). I wasn’t alone, and knew if I didn’t start re-charging my batteries with those walks early on I was a candidate for the medical tent.

The odd thing about this race is that there was no sweet spot. No time to simply cruise. For most people that run this distance the first few miles are just to shake out the legs and anxiety. Miles 4-16 should be the comfort zone. Those moments never happened.

Brutal was the word for the day. When the sun disappeared for 30 seconds behind the sole cloud in the sky, a roar went up from runners and spectators alike that rippled down the course. Early on I  heard the refrain from Highway to Hell blaring from speakers. There was nothing to do but laugh.

Photo credit: Lorianne DiSabato on Flikr

The crowds were nothing less than awesome and the water sprays were out in force – firemen with hydrant attachments, homeowners with hoses, kids with spray guns.

Since the early running goes through so many small towns — Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesely and Newton — before hitting the big city, the route is a constant stream of homes and villages with local parties along the way. With 500,000 spectators, this is the the biggest event in New England. And the locals were doing what they could for us. Passing out water, passing out oranges, passing out support and passing out beer. And yes, you’re damn right I took some beer. It fortified me for Heartbreak Hill, part of the hills of Newton between miles 17 and 21.

It was during those walk breaks that the crowd really played a part, as I had written my name on my shirt. This is a twofer: The crowds love knowing who is in front of them and the runner gets support. So when I was walking, the chanting would start. Sometimes solo, but sometimes large groups urging me on. And that helped snap me out of some of the longer walk breaks deep into the race.

The view of the other runners in those late stages brought to mind images of refugees trudging toward safety. I saw more people walking up Heartbreak than running it, moving forward, forward, inexorably forward.

From today’s New York Times came this interview using the word of the day:

“This was the toughest marathon I’ve ever run, and I’ve done 5 Ironmans, 3 Bostons and about 20 marathons,” said Mark Williams, 45, of Richmond, Va. He said his time was 30 minutes slower than six months ago. “It was brutal.”

And this from Jason Argent on Twitter:

My 5th #BostonMarathon a brutally rough go in 90 degree temps. 45 mins off my time last yr. Just happy to be alive after that death march.

One of the problems the race organizers had was not knowing exactly how runners would handle the heat. There isn’t a lot of real-world data on the subject of running 26 miles in those temps. One striking example was the 2007 Chicago Marathon that was cancelled mid-race due to heat, when water stops ran out of the precious liquid. (Many early runners were grabbing two or three cups and dowsing themselves, leaving the back of the pack without.) I carried backup of fluids yesterday, just in case. But water seemed plentiful, at least from my middle-of-the-pack vantage point, and I drank so much Gatorade I felt like I was being prepped for a colonoscopy.

When I did hit the finish on Boylston Street in Boston’s Back Bay section I came in about 30-35 minutes off my expected finish time. But I wasn’t disappointed, as others did the same. Adding 30-45 minutes was normal according to most people I spoke to, and that includes top local runners capable of cracking three hours in average conditions.

Few runners train in such heat. Even those in hot weather climates like Florida or Arizona are likely to train early in the morning or after the sun goes down. But mid-day, with no time to acclimate to these temperatures because this is a spring marathon and not a fall race? To quote Donald Rumsfeld:

There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.

And one thing the vast, vast majority of runners didn’t know was how we would handle the heat. It turned out that there were 2,100 runners treated for dehydration out of 22,000 starters.  As for the other 90% wondering if would could handle the heat: We can, and we did. But we might not be too keen on repeating the adventure.

And now the legal part of this post. (I have to have one, don’t I?) When athletes toe the starting line of an event, they assume the risks of competing. And that includes dealing with the weather.

My finishers medal will now be placed in a prominent spot in my trophy room. Also known as the tie rack in my closet.

For those with an interest in running and the law, once upon a time I did a Blawg Review based on the NYC Marathon.

Lastly, for those who ran Boston yesterday, this video’s for you.

My legal posts can be followed with my Twitter handle @Turkewitz, but for the running, it’s @PaineToPain.

Elsewhere:

Surviving the Boston Marathon (The New Yorker)

Boston Marathon Deferrals: Here Are the Facts (Runners World)

Boston Marathon a Battle, from Start to Finish (Tom Renner)

…Nothing in my running bag of tricks – energy gels, water, Gatorade, alternating walking and running – seemed to do much good.  The temptation to walk off crossed my mind frequently… [more at link]

Boston Marathon 2012: Mile by Mile (Mile Posts by Dorothy Beal):

You don’t hit the wall at the 8 mile mark. I knew it was the heat….Mile 21 was my first mile in the 10′s. I’m not sure the last time I saw a number in the 10′s…By Mile 23 I had started vomiting….[more at link]

RACE REPORT: Brian Adkins Finishes 2012 Boston Marathon (Marathon Brian):

…I had finished the 2012 Boston Marathon, 41 minutes slower than 2011′s performance in my first Boston run, but probably my proudest day as an athlete and event competitor….

The Boston Marathon: A Recap (I Dabble):

It was my slowest marathon to date, but is easily the one I am most proud of.

Boston 2012: The Hot One (Apple Crumbles):

…At 10K, people were already struggling. I wasn’t alone….

Race Report: Boston Marathon (Will Run for Beer):

…when I wrote on Sunday night of my revised goals for the race, I still thought I’d run a 3:20 and then come back here and be all “that was hard, but if you trust your training, you can do it.”

Instead I ran a 3:50 and honest to God considered dropping out. Of the Boston Marathon.

Lest you be wondering if the heat was really that big a deal, it was…

Too Hot to Handle: Boston Marathon Race Report (Runnrgirl’s Blog):

The first 3 miles …so i was bouncing along, pretty content for a while, and then i started feeling nauseous. i’ve battled nausea while running before so i thought it was still nerves and it would shake out as my body got used to running…the nausea led to some dry-heaving…

Boston Marathon Recap (linseyontherun):

I planned to crush the marathon.  I aimed to run my best marathon by far, shooting for a goal between 3:15 and 3:18.  That didn’t happen and normally, I’d look back on this marathon and be devastated.  This year, I feel accomplished and am still in a bit of shock over how I persevered and made it to the finish line.

Baked in Boston (Sweet Victory):

Obsessions over my pace were replaced by obsessions over the ice bags and sprinklers that the fans of Boston had all over the course. I’d heard it before and now I know it’s true: these are the best marathon fans in the world. I ran from ice bag to ice bag, through sprinklers and hoses, doing everything possible to keep my core cool…

My Boston Marathon Lesson: Remember the Goal (Dan Taylor):

I finished my first Boston Marathon yesterday and want to capture the most important lesson I learned from that experience.

Although I learned the lesson in the excruciating heat of the Boston Marathon I know for me it’s a lesson that I’ll carry over into other parts of my life…

What NOT Running the Boston Marathon Taught Me (Run Brit Run):

Not running on Monday was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. For 5 months, my life was training for Boston. Everything I did was planned around training runs. I barely went out, I spent an abnormal amount of time with my foam roller, and when people asked what my weekend plans were the response was always how long my long run was that week. Giving up the culmination of all of that hard work crushed me….

xx will update with good blogs posts as they are found xx

Sometimes people make fun of wacky warning labels that they see, like the warning on a Batman costume that said “Cape does not enable user to fly,”

But sometimes, they are well-written and real, and need to be appreciated. They aren’t written for the benefit of lawyers and courts and fear of an obscure suit, but for the benefits of participants in an event. Like this for this Monday’s Boston Marathon, where temperatures are expected to soar into the 80s, about 30 degrees too warm:

Advisory From Boston Marathon Medical Directors to Entrants in the 2012 Boston Marathon

Saturday, April 14, 2012 as of 11:30 a.m.

We are looking closely at the current weather situation which is projected  to be quite warm. The B.A.A. is closely monitoring this situation for for race day decisions. If the temperatures reach certain levels, running will put even the most fit athletes at risk for heat injury.

We are now making the recommendation that if you are not highly fit or if you have any underlying medical conditions (for example-cardiac disease, pulmonary disease or any of a number of medical problems), you should NOT run this race.

Inexperienced marathoners should not run.

Those who have only trained in a cooler climate and who may not be acclimated (for at least the last 10 days) to warm weather running conditions should also consider not running.

For those very fit athletes who decide to run, you should take significant precautions:

Run at a slower pace and maintain hydration.

You should frequently take breaks by walking instead of running.

This will not be a day to run a personal best.  If you choose to run, run safely above all else. Speed can kill.

Heat stroke is a serious issue and is related to intensity of running as well as the heat and humidity.

Good hydration is important but over hydration can also be a problem. Thirst is an indication that you are under-hydrated. You should maintain hydration levels slightly greater than your hydration program in your training, but not excessively so.

Even the fittest athletes, that take precautions can still suffer serious heat illness. Recognizing symptoms of heat illness in yourself and others is critical , this may include headaches, dizziness, confusion, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. If you experience any of these, stop running immediately and if symptoms persist seek medical attention.

Boston Marathon Co-Medical Directors,
Dr. Pierre d’Hemecourt and Dr. Sophia Dyer