Boston is for Racers

MARATHON WEEKEND RECAP

Boston is for Racers

It feels hard to distill the experience of Marathon Weekend 2022 into one quintessential moment. Was it when hundreds of runners filled Newbury Street for our Sunday morning shakeout with Tina Muir and Tommie Runz? When Bill Rodgers joined our Hare A.C. members for a send-off before they boarded their buses to Hopkinton? When Tracksmith employee Mick Iacofano surged to the front of the lead pack in Wellesley? Or the thousands of posters stamped and race stories shared on Monday and Tuesday? The magic of the weekend lies in the cumulative effect of these moments, in the community spirit and love for running that Boston embodies. Johnny Zhang documented it all for us.

IMAGES BY JOHNNY ZHANG

Racer's Roundtable

This year’s Boston was noteworthy for the depth of talent in the elite race. In our own version of the pre-race press conference, Mario Fraioli invited Mick Iacofano, Colin Bennie, Erica Stanley-Dottin, Tommie Bailey, Katie Kellner and Caroline Williams for a wide-ranging conversation on their preparation for the race. As Mario recapped, “A mix of first-timers and veterans, elites and age-group competitors, locals and out-of-towners, we talked all things Boston Marathon: how the Boston mindset is different from other marathons, dealing with pre-race excitement, lessons learned from past Boston experiences, what they were most looking forward to on race day, and a lot more.” Listen here.

METER Launch Party

We celebrated the spring edition of METER with a party highlighting the local stories within its pages. Heather Irvine honored the legacy of Louise Stokes, the 1932 and 1936 Black Olympian from Malden, MA who was twice named to the U.S. Track and Field team only to be forced to sit on the sidelines during the Games. Caroline Su of Diverse We Run shared her experiences as a new trail runner at the Trans Rockies and Chaz Davis spoke about his journey as an elite visually impaired marathoner, chasing big goals after the devastation of losing his eyesight. Reph Star and Patty Dukes of Circa ‘95 capped off the evening with a performance from their Fellowship EP, before Reph raced on Monday.

Morning Shakeouts

The pre-race shakeout is one of our favorite Marathon traditions. With racers back from around the globe, our Saturday and Sunday easy runs were an incredible opportunity to share a few pre-race miles in good company. Tina Muir recorded her shakeout run with Tommie Bailey, which you can listen to here.

Ali on the Run

Ali Feller, the exuberant host of Ali on the Run, hosted a jam-packed live show with local athletes Emily Saul and Anoush Aralkelian. As Ali put it, “This conversation was filled with great advice, hilarious stories, and — because why not? — dating talk. Thank you to Emily and Anoush for the wit, wisdom, and laughter.“ You can listen to the show here.

Race Day

Marathon Monday began bright and early at the Trackhouse as our Hare A.C. members gathered for their pre-race routines and bus to Hopkinton. In addition to treatment from Wellness in Motion, we surprised the group with a special appearance by Bill Rodgers. “The marathon will humble you,” he reminded them. “Don’t get carried away on the early downhill.”

Later in the morning, a crowd gathered in the Eliot Lounge to watch the race feed. With Mick Iacofano’s parents watching alongside the Tracksmith team, eyes were glued to the screen as he hung with the lead pack through halfway. As the race passed us on Hereford, the lounge emptied out to cheer. We loved watching Scott Fauble surge to become the first American man – wearing our Reggie Half Tights no less – and cheered as Nell Rojas repeated her first American victory, again in Tracksmith Bell Lap shorts. Coincidence? We think not.

The party began in earnest when Tracksmith Boston Hare athlete Sam Fazioli claimed the First to the Trackhouse title. He ran a 2:24 marathon and lept over a barricade to ensure he secured the title for the second time. RN Sam Roecker joined him as the women’s winner after running 2:48 and securing a place in the Guinness World Record books for fastest marathon in a nurses’ uniform. This was no mere stunt: she ran to raise money to support the mental heath and well-being of medical workers.

As runners poured into the Trackhouse for beers and poster-stamping, we witnessed the unique camaraderie born from the pursuit of excellence. We call our post-race traditions “Commemorate/Commiserate” for this reason: whatever happened out there on the course, the effort is worth celebrating.

Thank you, Runners

Same time, same place, next year?

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MARATHON WEEKEND RECAP