Boston Marathon Recap

The 127th running of the oldest marathon was PR-worthy, despite soggy conditions.

I’m going to be honest, I have a bit of an emotional hangover from Marathon Monday right now. I didn’t run (so this is not a personal race recap!); instead; I went to the marathon as a guest of Adidas—the race sponsor—which granted me a coveted spot in the grandstands right at the finish. It’s not just about getting a front row seat to potentially record-breaking finishes from pros like Eliud Kipchoge and Sara Hall up close; it’s a way to get up close and personal with what makes the Boston Marathon so special. 

Maybe it was the Kipchoge hype train, or the sheer depth of the women’s field. Or maybe it was the way the tenth anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing seemed to bring the entire city together. Whatever it was, this year’s Boston Marathon felt bigger than years past.

Of course, there’s the expected excitement as the pros come through—and this year was definitely a race—but I especially love getting to watch the general population as they cross the finish line. Monday’s conditions were less than ideal, with several downpours, a headwind, and colder temps; it was the kind of weather that makes you have to dig really deep to remember why exactly you’re there (especially on a course as challenging as Boston!).

And dig deep, they did. There were runners physically carrying other runners, runners who stopped to pick other runners up off the ground as they fell, runners teetering on their feet as they willed their tired bodies forward, and runners who collapsed the second they crossed the finish line. But mostly, there was a palpable sense of pride at the Boston Marathon finish line. Yes, most of the runners there had to qualify to earn their spot (qualifiers make up 80 percent of the field), but (most of) the rest of the runners there had to raise thousands of dollars for charity in order to participate. Either way, both require a huge and equally valid commitment—and there’s no feeling like finally bringing that journey to an end. 

Not everything about Marathon Monday is perfect (Boston still has a long way to go in creating a more inclusive race environment; see: this clip), but if you’re looking to be inspired, go watch some of yesterday’s race footage. As my friend Kori—a first time Boston Marathoner who snagged a PR yesterday—said after the race, “The magic of a marathon is one thing, and then the magic of BOSTON Marathon is an entirely different kind of magic.”

I barely have a voice, I’m sitting on a plane in damp clothes after making it to the airport with 15 minutes to spare before boarding, and my brain is melting from too many endorphins today, but here are just a few takeaways from this year’s race: 

Kipchoge Is Human, After All

The amount of hype around world record holder Eliud Kipchoge—the greatest marathoner of all time—making his Boston Marathon debut was unreal. (The network broadcasts even had a “Kipchoge cam” to follow him separately from the lead men.) And there was a real sense of disappointment in the crowd when it became clear that not only was he not going to break the course record, he wasn’t even going to podium (he finished sixth with a still impressive 2:09:23). Kipchoge was dropped in mile 19 of the race, in the middle of the race’s infamous Newton hills, an area that gets the best of so many runners. It’s a helpful reminder that no matter how fast you are, the marathon doesn’t owe you anything—all you can do is adapt to the conditions you’re given (and that understanding the course you’re racing has a huge affect on performance). He hasn’t spoken to the media yet about what happened, but his post-race Instagram said, “I live for the moments where I get to challenge the limits. It’s never guaranteed, it’s never easy.” I don’t think this diminishes his star power at all; if anything, it makes his story even more compelling.

kipchogeeliud

A post shared by Eliud Kipchoge - EGH🇰🇪 (@kipchogeeliud)

Adidas Swept the Podium

Nike always seems to be the buzziest brand when it comes to racing shoes, but their lock on the marathon market may be a little shakier after yesterday’s race. With a finish time of 2:05:54, Evans Chebet of Kenya became the first man to successfully defend the Boston Marathon title since 2008. He’s won six of his last seven marathons and three World Marathon Majors in the last 365 days, which is kind of mind-blowing to wrap your head around. Gabriel Geay of Tanzania came in second place, and Benson Kipruto of Kenya finished in third place; all three were wearing the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3. Obviously, shoes don’t make the runner, and nearly every brand has a supershoe these days, but I’m sure a shoe becomes more appealing to the masses when they see the elites winning races in it!

adidasrunning

A post shared by adidas Running (@adidasrunning)

Emma Bates is FIT

On Friday, Emma Bates confidently told Citius Mag that she sees herself as a 2:18/2:19 woman right now—and on Monday, in her first Boston Marathon, she nearly made good on that promise. Despite the conditions, she finished fifth as the top American, running a personal best of 2:22:10 (just eight seconds away from becoming the fastest American woman to ever run Boston). More importantly, she was the epitome of consistency, setting the pace for a large chunk of the race and holding on until the final mile, which was especially impressive given the depth of the women’s field. For context: Reigning U.S. Olympic Trials champion Aliphine Tuliamuk ran a PR of 2:24:37 to come in second American; Nell Rojas, the top American woman at Boston in 2021 and 2022, came in third this year, dropping her PR to 2:24:51; Sarah Hall, the former female American record holder in the half marathon, came in as fourth American at 2:25:48; and 2018 Boston champion Des Linden, finished in 2:27:18. All of this, by the way, begs the question: If Kipchoge can get his own cam, why can’t the women get more screen time?!

the rundown

Adidas Boston 11
When I arrived in Boston, I appropriately had a fresh pair of all-white Adidas Adizero Boston 11s waiting for me. I thought the 10s were a little heavy and clunky, so I was excited to test out the more streamlined version of this uptempo trainer. It’s still got a maxed out stack height, but the redesigned upper is super light and has more room at the forefoot and increased stiffness at the rear. It’s still way firmer than I prefer, but I’ve been told to give it time to break in (like, upwards of 50 miles) and it’ll feel much better. That feels extra long, but I did two hours in them on Sunday—racking up 11 miles between Boston Marathon shakeouts—and they felt OK, so we’ll see what happens. 

This Is Kipchoge’s World and We’re Just Running In It
Even in light of Eliud Kipchoge’s sixth-place Boston Marathon finish, this Runner’s World article was a fun read, not only because it details some of what makes Kipchoge such an exceptional athlete, but because of the number of other impressive runners fan-girling over him throughout. Bill Rodgers, Meb Keflezighi, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Dakotah Lindwurm all gush over the GOAT. I especially liked this nugget from Lindwurm, who also ran Boston yesterday: “I actually took something from him, which is that you can smile through the pain. It’s easier to push through the pain if you are tricking yourself into thinking you’re enjoying it.”

There Are Negative Side Effects to Wearable Devices 
I’ve experienced firsthand the disheartening feeling of wearing a watch that judges your performance as “unproductive.” A 2023 study published in the journal Digital Health identified three potential negative side effects of wearable devices: 1) datatification, or "feeling controlled by numbers"; 2) economization, or "stress and negative self-appraisal"; and 3) individualization, or "externalized motivation." As always, I think it’s so important to create awareness around the way you consume the data generated by your watch so that you can use it strategically instead of letting it control you.