Boston Marathon: From a fan's view

I happen to be in area on vacation, so I cheered on runners

The Boston Marathon is the most famous distance race in the world. I never thought I’d witness it… until I happened to watch it on vacation.

The 26.2-mile event was held Monday; it starts out in a suburb and the runners work their way toward downtown.

Although I’ve been a sportswriter for decades, my limited experience with the race involved things like compiling lists of Iowans competing, working through results, and even looking for a few friends who competed.

An elevated train platform provided a nice view of a swarm of runners at the Boston Marathon. (Photo by John Naughton.)

I was in New England on vacation over the weekend and heard that the marathon was held Monday. So why not stay an extra day and watch the race?

It was a bit like being in Kentucky on the eve of the Derby, or in the same state as the Super Bowl. What a fun coincidence.

I did some rushed research and came up with a plan to watch the race at a spot midway through the course (about 10k in) conveniently located near a train station for easy access in Framingham.

By Monday morning, I was parked at the Worcester, Massachusetts, Union Station at 4:30 a.m.

Wheelchair races rush along the Boston Marathon course while fans along the street cheer. (Photo by John Naughton.)

I wasn’t sure what to expect on arrival. I could tell I was very, very early. No one was lined up yet.