The history of the Boston Marathon is as colorful and deep as the crowds it attracts. Way back in April of 1897, feeling inspired by his own Olympic marathon experience, a man named John Graham organized the first Boston Marathon. It was 24.5 miles long. Later, it was lengthened to 26.2 miles, to conform to the Olympic standard.
Over the years, the Boston Marathon became the race to train for, and the third Monday in April brought runners from around the world. When Johnny Kelley won in 1945, there were only 90 runners — all men. Thirty years later, there were 2,300, including a few women. Now organizers have to cap the race at 30,000 runners.
“The Boston Marathon course is the best course in the world," said four-time winner Bill Rodgers, a hero in these parts. "The most dramatic, the most interesting and one of the most challenging."
In 1976, he competed in the Olympic marathon in Montreal for the U.S. Olympic Team.
“But by Olympic rules, the courses can’t have too much elevation change," Rodgers said.
Rodgers is right. Heartbreak Hill — and so many other sharp drops and steep climbs — now disqualify the Boston Marathon from current Olympic standards. Incline is limited to about 10 feet for every half mile. Rodgers says the ideal marathon course is flat and scenic, with plenty of room for spectators.
“For the Olympic Games, the stadium is central," he said. "You usually start in the stadium and finish there."
So if Boston wins the 2024 bid, organizers are going to have to create a new 26-mile course.
"I would think it would go through a lot of the famous landmarks," Rodgers said. "Along the Charles River, and perhaps the Common, maybe over to Cambridge."
Boston 2024 bid organizers have yet to propose a new marathon course. CEO Rich Davey has announced in public meetings that it’s still in the works.
"If we're fortunate enough to win, we've been talking to folks like Tom Grilk at the BAA. "We expect to probably spend more time with folks from London in particular, because London in part from an operational perspective will be similar to Boston. We're going to need a lot of help if we win these games."
A possible marathon alternative would be the course used for the 2008 women’s U.S. Olympic Trials. It started and finished on Boylston Street, and was a series of 6-mile loops. But that repetition can get tedious for runners.
"To me, any marathon is not easy at all," said Ruben Sanca, a member of the Cape Verde Olympic team. "The thing about Boston is, the first 10 miles or so are downhill, then you get the Wellesley bump, hill. But what makes it really tough is that there’s a series of uphill and downhill from mile 17 to 21, which can take a lot on your body."
Sanca can use his Boston Marathon time to qualify for the Rio 2016 Games. As a dual citizen, he lives, works and trains here. So this Monday’s marathon course still matters to him.
"I didn’t really want to do Boston until I was prepared for it," he said. "And last year I felt like it was a good time. I was 21st overall, first person from New England. Two hours and 19 minutes."
Sanca has to beat last year’s time by 1 minute.
“For this year’s Boston, one of my goals is to get the qualifying time, which is 2 hours and 18 minutes, and hopefully that will set me up for Rio,” he said.
And who knows? Sanca’s still young. He could be competing on a new course in 2024.
