Marathon Major 6 of the original 6 Majors and it didn’t disappoint! A tough,challenging course and so happy to complete it with a PB and sub 4 
But of course, the journey and the story began a long time ago, over a beer with Steve Crook in 2019 and so many moments, some good, some bad, have led to the pinnacle which was the Boston Marathon, getting my 6 
, running a PB and going sub 4!!
Please skip to the photos unless you want the longer version!
Learning from experience…
I ran the Sydney marathon in 2024. The course is not unlike Boston in that it has a long downhill start of some 6 miles followed by some hills and undulations. By mile 6 my quads were painful on a scale of 8/10 and I ran the next 20 miles grimacing in agony and praying for the uphills. I could barely walk for the following week.
So, knowing Boston was on the horizon in April 26 I knew I needed to strengthen my quads and improve my downhill running.
Training for hills, hills, and more hills.
Immediately following London in 25, I started a weekly hill session in Titchfield. This involved a 45 min round trip drive and 10k of hills. I got to know each of the 7 hills quite intimately, was taught the most appropriate swear words on the steepest ones, how to relax running down, use measured effort on the ups and finally, actually came to believe that hills are indeed your friends! Additionally, I used Titchfield on a lot of my long runs so I also ran those same hills after 10 or 12 miles and when I was dead tired.
I also needed to specifically practice running downhill for long periods which is impossible in Gosport. So during weeks 5, 4 and 3 before race day, hubby drove me to Parkgate, dropped me off, I ran downhill to Warsash where he collected me and drove me back to Parkgate for up to 3 repeats. This way we managed to achieve a 9 mile downhill run so my quads were Boston ready.
This training detail may sound a bit tedious to some but I guess I wanted to point out that preparation is crucial if you have a goal in mind and that nothing comes easy.
I ran 694 miles in training for Boston, that’s 26.4 miles preparation for each Boston mile on the day. That knowledge helped me believe that I could push the boundaries and my body should hold up. I had also decided to dedicate each Boston mile to my nearest and dearest and those people who have been pivotal to my marathon journey so I could draw on their strength when I needed it. And I did!
Enough of the training, and on to Boston itself! Boston is regarded as the toughest of the 6 majors. It’s starts in Hopkinton, a small town 26 miles west of Boston and you quite literally run to Boston. There is a net fall of some 1200 feet and a net gain of 830 feet. The challenge is that the hills start at mile 18!
Race morning
The sun is shining and the rain has stopped which is amazing after the torrential downpours of yesterday. It’s cold at 7.45 am, 7° feeling like 4° but the winds are moderate and westerly so lots of positives.
I meet my friend, Lauren, from the Cayman Islands, ready to load the yellow school buses at 8am. It’s super well organised. Once your colour bib is allowed through you stand on a square and those squares represent one bus load and you are loaded and on your way to Hopkinton.
The journey is about an hour and a quarter through the New England countryside which is picture postcard with its houses and churches and it dawns on you that you are about to make the return journey on foot!
We are sweltering in the bus as we are kitted up in throw aways ready for the standing around in an exposed field, not unlike London. Straight off the bus and into the loo cue which is 20 minutes long but that’s fine as we have an hour and a half before our start and an hour before our corale call. Lucky us! Someone has gone off to run and left a thick yoga mat for us to sit on! So, we picnic on our second breakfast of the morning trying to get in as many last minute carbs as we comfortably can. I have an energy bar and bagel and Lauren has the latest high carb snack of a honeyed rice crispies bar.
We finish our electrolyte drinks within the 90 mins cut off, I change my old trainers ( heavy rain was originally forecast! ) for my running trainers and we are good to go as our wave is called to corale. I think it was only at the end that both Lauren and I appreciated how relaxed our start was having each other for company and passing the time chatting rather than getting nervous.
We head off to our separate waves and begin the almost mile long (!) walk to the start discarding various layers as I go. In the end I had opted to wear shorts, a vest, sleeves, gloves and a visor. About 300 yards from the start there are loads of loos and it’s nice to have that last ‘ just in case’ tinkle.
And we are off!
Watch started and amidst a crowded field I am running down a hill not unlike Titchfield hill trying not to get bowled over or squashed! The first mile is a bit manic as everyone tries to find a space to run in, a pace to run at and attempt to get their breathing back to normal because after all the hard work and training miles they are finally running the iconic 130th Boston Marathon!
Although the first miles are downhill they are definitely not strictly downhill at all. Undulating or rolling would be a much better description. You no sooner get to the bottom of one than you can see the road rising again in front of you. I read somewhere that when you get to the top of each hill, count ten steps, get your breathing back on track ready to go again and I think that helped.
There are frequent water stations after the first two miles. I was fortunate that I didn’t need to stop at any of them as it was a cold day and I carried 2 soft flasks with me.
Passing the first 5k marker ( you can’t help but think that those at home watching on the App will have been given their first insight into your possible finish time) you come to Ashland, a small New England town before some quiet rolling miles and heading on towards Framington where the crowds are welcoming and noisy.
At mile 9 you are treated to a view of Fisk Pond which is wonderfully calming. Having found it tricky to settle into a comfortable pace, I now feel a bit more in control until suddenly it feels a little harder and I realise that I am on a long slow incline. Breath deeply. Natick town is next with more boosting from the cheering supporters but it’s nothing compared to the scream tunnel to come outside Wellesley College.
Once my eardrums have recovered I realise we are at halfway. As always, a quick check on everything. I feel okay, better than I did earlier on. Nothing is rubbing/chaffing. Gel intake and fluid intake is on track. My watch tells me I’ve lost almost 0.2 of a mile with weaving and not following the blue line ( there wasn’t one) but my halfway time is 2.0.40 so I’m on for a good PB if I can keep going. I know that in Boston it’s expected to do a positive split by 5-10 minutes because of the nature of the beast that Boston is, so I tell myself that as long as I can keep that under 10 mins +, I could still PB in Boston – I am feeling happy and good at this point!
The next few miles are undulating and you can see the wide open road ahead of you and the crowd support is amazing.
Then around 15.5 miles comes a really steep downhill hill which lasts for half a mile but what goes down must go up and you know you are approaching the infamous Newton Hills! There are 4 in total with Heartbreak hill being the last. I dig in deep, crest the first hill, enjoy the almost mile downhill to recover. I am trying to remain in control, focus on relaxing going down and measured effort going up, I am using the swear words I was assured by those more used to them than me would help (and they did), I am thinking of my Monday Hill Buddies who have been allocated these tricky miles and who would be mortified if I even thought about walking.
Steve is waiting to cheer me on as I crest the first hill. It’s taken him almost 2 hours to get therefor a two second shout and cheer but he has given me inspiration and energy for the rest of the hills and then I see a sign “YOU HAVE CRUSHED NEWTON HILLS!” I was stunned! I asked a bystander if that was it, was I over the Newton Hills and they high fived me.
I had done it, I was still running, I was feeling tired but good and I knew it’s almost downhill from here to the finish. I could do this! I could finish with a PB if only I could keep going.
I had done it, I was still running, I was feeling tired but good and I knew it’s almost downhill from here to the finish. I could do this! I could finish with a PB if only I could keep going. Then,another short uphill appears before the downhill sets in again and suddenly I am at Boston College.
The typical detached houses are replaced with apartment blocks, the crowds are bigger and noisier and finally it seems flatter and I am in Brookline. It’s not far now. The streets seem narrower and it’s only 4 miles to the finish.
I check my watch. I’ve still run around 0.25 of a mile over but I’m on for a PB if I can keep the pace going. I’m waiting to see the infamous CITCO sign on the horizon knowing that I turn left there and it’s just a mile to the finish. I’m 2 miles from the finish when I catch my first glimpse of the Citgo sign. It seems very far away.
A quick glance at my total time tells me I am going to be really close to 4 hours! I am trying desperately to work out my pace and the distance left to go but my brain has gone to mush and I just can’t quite compute it. Then, I am past the Citgo sign, turning left over all the train tracks, focusing on staying on my feet.
With only a mile to go I think I have 9 minutes to cross the finish line but there is a sneaky underpass with a climb out onto Fenway and then two blocks of an uphill climb before the final left hand turn onto Boylston.
I tell myself that I may never be in the situation again where a sub 4 hour marathon is within my grasp. I can now see the finish line in the distance.
I tell myself that I may never be in the situation again where a sub 4 hour marathon is within my grasp. I can now see the finish line in the distance. My watch is reading 3.58. Forget the pain, think of the brave people you have dedicated this mile too and if they can get through their tribulations, then I can put one foot in front of the other for a few hundred more steps. The finish is within my grasp, the time still starts with a 3 and then that’s it! I have crossed to finish line with 15 seconds to spare according to my watch.
I have finished the Boston Marathon in under 4 hours. I have an 11 minute PB. I have my 6th star and was the top GB in my AG and I am so happy to have completed this journey here in Boston.
PS: Family and friends watching on the App have said that the end was nail biting! They saw after 5k that my expected finish time was 4.01 and it hovered around 4.01/4.02 all the way to the 35k and 40k and when it was still 4.01 they were mentally screaming at me all the way to the finish.
I think they were more excited and pleased than I was 
