What does it take to chase down a lifelong dream, even after you've failed three times? And why have thousands of people put the Boston Marathon at the top of their bucket list?<br><br>Long Road to Boston combines the history of the world's most coveted marathon with the personal journey of one ordinary runner who seeks to fulfill his ultimate amateur athletic goal. Tracing back to the marathon's roots in Greek mythology and sharing the stories of the many colourful and inspiring characters who have crossed Boston's finish line, the book explores why modern runners challenge themselves with such ambitious goals and revels in the reward of a persistent dream achieved.<br><br>Since the first edition in 1897, more than 640,000 runners have travelled the hallowed path. The Boston Marathon isn't just the oldest marathon in the world, but the most esteemed. Every year, thousands of runners across the planet try to meet its challenging qualifying times, dreaming of stepping into more than a century of history. Some make it, others fall short and try again. Since the devastating finish-line bombing in 2013, the reverence and demand for the Boston Marathon has only increased.<br><br>As the founder and back-page columnist of iRun magazine and the host of its radio show and podcast, Mark Sutcliffe has interviewed hundreds of runners who have chased Boston. And over the course of more than five years and more than a dozen marathons, he too closed in on his qualifying time, failing repeatedly, for one reason or another, before finally earning a place in the 2015 edition.
Оглавление
Mr Mark Sutcliffe. Long Road to Boston
FOREWORD
PROLOGUE
PART 1. REJOICE, WE CONQUER
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
PART 2. A CHARISMATIC EVENT
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
PART 3. THE UNLIKELY RUNNER
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
PART 4. HILLS AND THUNDERSTORMS
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
PART 5. THERE BUT FOR TWENTY-TWO SECONDS…
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
PART 6. GO, RANDOM STRANGER!
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
PART 7. I WENT UP THERE ONE TIME!
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
TWENTY-SIX WORDS FOR TWENTY-SIX MILES
SELECTED STATISTICS ABOUT THE BOSTON MARATHON
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PRAISE FOR WHY I RUN
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By Bart Yasso
The course of the Boston Marathon hasn’t changed very much over the past one hundred and twenty years. Hundreds of thousands of runners have left Hopkinton and have moved in almost a straight line, with only a handful of turns, to Boylston Street in Copley Square. When the gun goes off, we all travel the same path to the finish line.
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Many years later, DeMar’s son wrote in a letter to the Boston Athletic Association that his father hated the school so much that when he was asked about it, he flew into a “three-day rage.” It was a “hard and somewhat squelched life,” the elder DeMar said. But he performed well enough to earn a spot at the University of Vermont, where he chose to run cross country because he knew he didn’t have any talent for football, baseball or boxing. After winning a ten-mile race, he decided to enter the 1910 Boston Marathon, where he finished second.
A physician who examined him later that year announced, “You have a bad heart.” The doctor said he should give up running. “You shouldn’t even walk upstairs.”
