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114 pages

English

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What does it take to chase down a lifelong dream, even after you've failed three times? And why have thousands of people put the Boston Marathon at the top of their bucket list?

Long Road to Boston combines the history of the world's most coveted marathon with the personal journey of one ordinary runner who seeks to fulfill his ultimate amateur athletic goal. Tracing back to the marathon's roots in Greek mythology and sharing the stories of the many colourful and inspiring characters who have crossed Boston's finish line, the book explores why modern runners challenge themselves with such ambitious goals and revels in the reward of a persistent dream achieved.

Since the first edition in 1897, more than 640,000 runners have travelled the hallowed path. The Boston Marathon isn't just the oldest marathon in the world, but the most esteemed. Every year, thousands of runners across the planet try to meet its challenging qualifying times, dreaming of stepping into more than a century of history. Some make it, others fall short and try again. Since the devastating finish-line bombing in 2013, the reverence and demand for the Boston Marathon has only increased.

As the founder and back-page columnist of iRun magazine and the host of its radio show and podcast, Mark Sutcliffe has interviewed hundreds of runners who have chased Boston. And over the course of more than five years and more than a dozen marathons, he too closed in on his qualifying time, failing repeatedly, for one reason or another, before finally earning a place in the 2015 edition.

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Sport

Sports fitness

Exercise

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Publié par	eBookIt.com
Date de parution	05 octobre 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780986824296
Langue	English

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Extrait

LONG ROAD TO BOSTON

The Pursuit of the World’s
Most Coveted Marathon

By Mark Sutcliffe

Great River Media Inc.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Sutcliffe is the author of Why I Run: The Remarkable Journey of the Ordinary Runner and Canada’s Magnificent Marathon . As the founder, publisher and back-page columnist of iRun magazine, and the host of its radio show and podcast, Mark has been sharing the stories of ordinary and elite runners for more than a decade.
When he’s not running, Mark is an entrepreneur, broadcaster and writer in his hometown of Ottawa, Canada. He hosts a daily talk show on 1310 NEWS and writes weekly in the Ottawa Citizen , where he was previously executive editor. Mark is a passionate volunteer who has led several community organizations and has raised almost $200,000 with charity runs.
Mark lives in Ottawa with his wife Ginny and their children, Erica, Jack and Kate. Long Road to Boston is his fifth book. The 2015 Boston Marathon was Mark’s twenty-second marathon.

Great River Media, 2016
Copyright © by Mark Sutcliffe

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Published in Canada by Great River Media, Inc. Ottawa in 2016

Published in eBook format by Great River Media
Converted by http://www.eBookIt.com

ISBN: 978-0-9868242-8-9
Long Road to Boston (bound)

ISBN: 978-0-9868242-9-6
Long Road to Boston (electronic book)

Manuscript edited by Kel Pero
Cover illustration: Sarah Lazarovic
Design and production: Tanya Connolly-Holmes

Great River Media
Suite 500 - 250 City Centre Avenue
Ottawa, ON
K1R 6K7

greatriver.ca

When I run, I wear Mizuno. I wear Mizuno shoes. I wear Mizuno shirts and shorts. I wear Mizuno hats. When it’s cold, I wear a Mizuno Breath Thermo jacket and Mizuno gloves. Whether I’m at the start of the Boston Marathon or on a routine run through my neighbourhood, you won’t see me in any other gear. (Yes, that’s one of my Mizuno shoes on the cover of this book.)
Like the television commercial about tires, it’s important for runners to remember that the only thing that makes contact with the road is your footwear. So if you want to run well and reduce the risk of injuries, there’s nothing more important. Mizuno shoes are unlike any other shoe I have worn. They combine unique Wave technology with unparalleled expertise in producing shoes that fit well and support your running. And their gear is always comfortable and stylish.
But what I like about Mizuno is not just that they make great products, but that they’re into running and they’re into runners. They live and breathe the sport and they engage runners all over North America and listen to their feedback.
Thanks to Mizuno for sponsoring me as a runner and for supporting Long Road to Boston as the lead sponsor. Mizuno has been with me every step of the way for thousands of miles.

For almost as long as there has been a Boston Marathon, Wigwam Mills has been making socks. The company was founded in 1905 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and they continue to knit their products there to this day. Unlike so many other manufacturers, they haven’t shipped production overseas, and they are dedicated to working with and supporting domestic suppliers. They are focused on quality, honesty, and integrity, and they genuinely care about their customers.
I wear Wigwam when I run because they make terrific socks. I put in a lot of miles, and I’ve tried many other socks that can’t keep up. They get beat up quickly and show wear and tear almost immediately. Wigwam socks are incredibly durable and extremely comfortable. I’m grateful to Wigwam for their sponsorship of Long Road to Boston .

You won’t be surprised that I use a lot of running analogies when I’m talking about other subjects. Nowhere is that more appropriate than when I recommend the approach of PWL Capital.
I’ve been a PWL Capital client for more than a decade. Investing for the future is a lot like training for a marathon: there are no shortcuts. A lot of people will try to convince you that they have some magical strategy to get great returns on the stock market, but that’s like saying there’s a trick that can get you from the couch to a marathon in just a few days.
Like most things in life, the rewards of both investing and running come from smart, long-term hard work that is supported by evidence. That’s the approach I take to my training, and it’s the proven method PWL Capital uses on behalf of its investing clients. They don’t subscribe to fads or schemes.
Thanks to the folks at PWL Capital in Ottawa for sponsoring Long Road to Boston . Like marathon runners, they’re all about the long run.

There are a lot of people in the running business who try to sell solutions. The people at SoleFit, a pedorthic clinic in Ottawa, always figure out the problem first. I’ve worked with them on a number of occasions, and talked to many other runners who’ve had the same experience.
SoleFit does gait analysis and makes custom orthotics, along with helping clients with knee bracing and other recovery products. But their knowledge goes much deeper than that. They understand biomechanics and technique, and they’re up- to-date on all the latest footwear. And they’re runners, so they understand runners.
SoleFit supports runners by looking at the entire picture. They try to figure out the source of the problem rather than push a quick solution on a client. And they try not just to treat issues, but to prevent them from reoccurring. Thanks to the great people at SoleFit for supporting Long Road to Boston .

THANK YOU!

I’m eternally grateful to the following people who supported Long Road to Boston through a crowdfunding campaign. It’s deeply gratifying to have the backing of a community of kind and generous individuals.

Beth Agro Jack Kitts Doug Baum David Luxton Lynda Bordeleau Ida Mikhael Jason Brazeau Alex Munter Catherine Cano Rick O’Shaughnessy Neale and Allyson Chisnall Donna Roney David Coletto Colin Rowe Julie Drury Marc Roy Barry Dworkin Aaron Rubinoff Barbara Farber Brent Smyth Brent Ferguson Jane Spiteri Lisa Georges Louisa Taylor Stéphane Giguère Anathea Théorêt Nancy Graham Gene Villeneuve Dan Greenberg Shirley and John Westeinde Bruce Hillary Patrick Whalen Dennis Jackson Vern White Scott Johnson David Willson
FOREWORD
By Bart Yasso

The course of the Boston Marathon hasn’t changed very much over the past one hundred and twenty years. Hundreds of thousands of runners have left Hopkinton and have moved in almost a straight line, with only a handful of turns, to Boylston Street in Copley Square. When the gun goes off, we all travel the same path to the finish line.
But each one of those runners takes a different route to get to the start line. What prompts all of us first to do a marathon, then to strive for and achieve a qualifying time, then actually to run the Boston Marathon? I’ve talked to thousands of Boston runners over the past thirty-five years, and every story is different.
I first ran Boston in 1982, the year of the famous “duel in the sun” between Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley. On my first visit, I spent a lot of time before the race walking around the city, and discovered first-hand what so many people had told me about the atmosphere on marathon weekend. As soon as people find out you’re a runner, they want to know where you’re from and every detail about your story. Wherever you go that weekend, people are talking about the marathon.
Since then, I’ve been to Boston every single Patriots’ Day, a few times as a runner but mostly in my capacity as Chief Running Officer of Runner’s World . I’ve seen the race transform from a fairly small event populated by very fast athletes into an enormous spectacle that has become the ultimate goal for the everyday runner.
What makes the Boston Marathon special is its unparalleled history. It’s not the most picturesque marathon course in the world. It’s not run at the best time of year; the weather can be very unpredictable. But what no other event can match is the one-hundred and twenty years of tradition. There are runners who have been back every year for decades. There are families who have shown up to the same location as spectators every year for generations. Because the race is run on a holiday, it’s like a party on the streets.
The race has changed, but the tradition hasn’t. Thirty years ago, a small group of runners gathered every April in tiny Hopkinton. Now it’s a field in the tens of thousands. The first few years I ran Boston, there were spectators edging onto the course; by the time you got to Commonwealth Avenue, it was so narrow in some places that runners were traveling almost in single file. If you wanted to pass someone, you had to tap him or her on the shoulder and ask him or her to move over. Now it’s a highly organized, professionally run event run by an extraordinary team. Once upon a time, when you got to the finish line, you got the time that was on the clock when you crossed. Now there’s a sophisticated chip timing system, one of many technological improvements to racing.
What also hasn’t changed over the decades is the passion of the runners who seek an invitation to run Boston. Every year, I’m amazed by the stories of people who have made the Boston Marathon the most important item on their bucket list, the pinnacle of their running career. Some people train for years just to get in. The qualifying standards are a big part of the appeal: runners know that it’s not a free ticket. You have to earn the right to a bib number in Boston.
Mark’s story is a perfect example. He’s been running marathons for more than a decade and started getting clo