BOSTON!!!

At some point in every marathoner's life, they aspire to finally take part in the most historic and pinnacle of marathon running...the Boston Marathon! On April 21, 2008, about 42 runners from the Aloha State (or with ties here) participated in the 112th running of this presitigious race, nine of them representing the Ohana.

After arriving in Boston, they attended the Marathon Expo at the Hynes Center to do packet pickup and purchase some neat souveniors and omiyage! Managed to meet up with the Red Rabbit, but missed Maverick and his girlfriend who got delayed at their hotel.

Called Maniacles to report that the expo was like 'being a kid in a candy or toy store!' So much to see, do, and purchase. Met several other Hawai`i runners there, all having that same thought (many trying to resist the temptations of coming back with more than what they came in with).

Many were experiencing mixed feelings about how to approach

raceday. Perhaps the best remedy was touring the city. Not only is Boston home to the Celtics, Bruins, and Red Sox, but it has perhaps some of the greatest historical sites representing our country's history!

Sites visited included the Boston Commons, Old Gramary Burial Ground (where Paul Revere, Sam Adams, and 'Mother Goose' are interred), Old State House (where the Boston Massacre took place), and Faneuil Hall. Other notable places were the New England Aquarium, Quincy Market (food of every sort), and the Cheers bars! Oh, can't forget, it's the former stomping grounds of Frayed Laces (who is now 'terrorizing' the streets on O`ahu)!

Raceday morning produced some problematics primarily weatherwise. Previous reports stated an overcast day with 30% chance of intermittent rain and temps in the range of mid 50-60s.

Monday, Patriot's Day, morning was more like low 50s with a high amount of clouds looming overhead, one could see their breath as they made their way to the start. This played on what to wear during the race. Eventually things began to warm up and just before guntime (5 minutes to be exact) the sun came out from behind the clouds. The rest of the day was picture perfect in terms of race conditions (for most) with clear skies and temperatures in the mid-60s to low 70s.

One of the fun things about going to the Major Marathons is

being bussed to the start. One can meet alot of interesting people from various parts of not only the U.S. but also the rest of the world. Met a young lady from Chicago doing her second Boston and fourth marathon, who was recently married and thinking of going into triathlons. Her only problem was where she would go to train for swimming. After meeting up with the rest of the Hawai`i runners at the house of Aloha on 25 Main Street, the Ohana headed out for their respective starting corrals.

Overall the course was awesome and provided some of the most exihilarating fans cheering all the runners! From the start and especially entering Wellesley and Boston itself, it was like entering 'Scream Tunnel' twice! As Shaka, TC, and Maniacles advised, Heartbreak Hill was very overrated and I barely noticed it (though the hill prior to it was more of a gutcheck). Runners had to not only resist the urge to stop from fatigue and the various photo ops, but also to steal multiple kisses as they passed through Wellesley (for the males)!

Results for all of the Hawai`i finishers were reported on the Honolulu Advertiser site.

Here's how the Ohana faired (mahalos to Shaka for looking them all up):

Dave Eagar 2:50:00 (He beat Lance Armstrong by 58 seconds)
Jeff Fong 3:12:52 P.R. Yeah!!!
Coswin Saito 3:27:41
Joe Allen 3:35:27
Jim Woodhull 3:35:50
Mike Kasamoto 3:36:50
Jeff Nakasone 3:58:26
Gary Marr 4:07:15
Candy Smiley 4:09:57

All of the Ohana participants had an awesome Boston experience (more comments to come) and do have the lingering thought of returning next year. Next stop...San Diego!!!