Ok, folks. It’s almost that time of year. Tax Day is coming. Are you done? Are you ready? Well, if your taxes are (hopefully) done, then it’s time to turn your attention to the next popular event in April. That’s right: the Boston Marathon.
I’m not a runner, but even I know that the Boston Marathon is a big deal. Before watching this documentary, I didn’t realize that Boston is the world’s oldest and most prestigious marathon. The race passes through eight different towns in Massachusetts. The documentary was filmed in 2014, a year after the disastrous bombing in 2013, and 36,000 runners lined up for 118th running. 
At the beginning of the documentary, the historians pulled out some very old shoes that winners have worn in the past. At the turn of the 20th century, nobody was making running shoes as we know them today. The shoes were leather or canvas and were very flat. Some of them have rubber soles with very little tread. The historian commented that they look like very nice bedroom slippers. Imagine running 26.2 miles in bedroom slippers. Makes my feet hurt.
My other favorite part was the introduction of women runners. In 1966, Bobbi Gibb tried to register, but the officials wouldn’t let her in. Instead of giving up, she snuck into the race by hiding in bushes at the start. The next year, Katherine Switzer registered as KD Switzer and ran as contestant 261. She was DQ’d at the end of the race, but the door was open. Women were finally allowed to run in 1972, and eight lined up at that first start.
A decent segment of the documentary deals with the bombing in 2013. Boston has a great marathon and after the tragedy in 2013, it was great to see Boston come back strong in 2014. 
Nashville may not have the history that Boston does, but we certainly have our own marathon. The St. Jude Rock ‘N Roll Marathon is scheduled for April 27, 2019. Good luck to all the runners who will compete both at Boston and in Nashville. I hope you have a great run and I’m very happy not to have to run with you.
Happy running…
:) Amanda