Run It Fast®

Qualifying for the prestigious Boston Marathon is not easy to do. Some are able to pull it off on there first or second marathon. Others try to qualify for years and finally get there. And, then there are those who can never qualify no matter how much they want it.

I met Ami Roach at my neighborhood 5K nearly three years ago. She finished the 5k in 24 minutes which is a decent time, I thought. She shared with me that she would like to qualify for the Boston Marathon and needed a sub 3:40 finish time. She lit up when we talked about this. At this point, Ami had only ran a few marathons and her goal was to break 4 hours. I was excited for her that she was so driven to qualify for Boston but I knew deep down that she probably still had a long way to go. For most people, a lot is involved with knocking marathon times down.

Ami and I became running buddies after we met that day and began to run on a regular basis together. She shared with me that she used to weigh 254 pounds at 5’1”. Until she told me that she wore a size 20 shorts and showed me a few “before” photos, I really couldn’t imagine it. How could this super strong, powerful running machine once be morbidly obese? And on top of that, she had been overweight her entire life.

I tried to make sense of her weight problem by asking her a lot of questions. What was it like being that heavy? What was your daily life like? Did other people stare at you or ridicule you? And why couldn’t you lose weight?

Ami’s approach to weight loss was not by using fad diets, although she had tried many of them throughout the years. Over five years ago, she lost weight the good ‘ol fashioned way-eating less and moving more. She began to cook healthier and exercise by using “Biggest Loser” home video workouts and jogging on the treadmill in her home. She didn’t dare head outdoors out of being uncomfortable running in front of other people at such a heavy weight.

Ami explained to me that she had an epiphany after she ran her first 10K, which was in the 60 minute range, still at a heavier weight. She said that she realized at the finish that this was what she was meant to do…run.

I really wanted Ami to break 4 hours in the marathon for two reasons: 1) She wanted it desperately 2) What an incredible success story for someone to lose 130 pounds AND finish a sub4 hour marathon. We trained together and with others in our community and she continued to run marathons. Some of them close to the 4 hour mark and others were ten or more minutes off. I even paced in twice to finish in four hours but she still couldn’t do it no matter how much she wanted it.

At the Chicamauga Marathon last November, she missed the 4 hour mark by 6 seconds. Six measly seconds! She was determined to get a sub 4 hour marathon at that point and trained harder. She never gave up.

I used to wonder if Ami got sick and tired of always seeing me finish faster in every race that we do. Not that she is competitive with me but I can see how it could become frustrating at times. I also wondered if Ami would ever be able to get a sub 3:40 or even a sub 3:45 which is what her qualifying time changed to by turning 35 years old. I tried to be optimistic but I often thought, if she’s struggling so much breaking 4 hours, how is she going to knock off another 15 minutes? I continued to be supportive and of course never shared my doubts with her.

On a mission, Ami set out to run the Charlotte Marathon the following month and didn’t tell anyone except for myself and one other person. She was fed up with this, didn’t want any pressure, and headed to Charlotte to run a hilly marathon and break 4 hours. She not only broke 4 hours but she blew it away with a 3:53. Okay…now I’m thinking that she can qualify for Boston and she’s thinking that she can too.

A few marathons later used as training runs, she prepared herself to qualify at the Mercedes Marathon this past February. She had veteran runner, Scott Ludwig, pace her to finish in under 3:45:59. She finished in 3:44:12. This was Ami’s 21st marathon.  I have never seen her more happy in her life and she couldn’t wait to register for the Boston Marathon.

The Boston Marathon has become so popular in recent years that the standards to get in changed for 2012. Because Ami is in a competitive age group and she “barely” qualified, she missed getting in by 26 seconds. She was devasted but this fueled the fire even more. Hard training was not over. Now it was time for her to get ready to lower her time significantly for 2013 so that there is no chance that she will not make it in with her time.

Training became more intense and running buddy, Coach Joe Fejes pushed her even more. But, heading over to the park by herself to run a 0.67 mile significant incline at a 8:00 pace over and over was not unusual for Ami. She was driven. She wanted it. And she was not going to give up. The Savannah Marathon, which coincidently was one year later from the Chicamauga Marathon where she couldn’t break 4 hours, was the race that she had her sights on to crank it out. And, she was not using a pacer this time.

The morning of the Savannah Marathon, I was counting the minutes for the phone call. Did she break 3:40? Did she break 3:35? How did she do? When I got the call from her that she got 3:32:06, I was ecstatic and couldn’t control my enthusiasm. It’s a good thing that I was in a car parking lot with the windows closed or my loud screeches would have disturbed some people for sure.

Ami had an over 12 minute personal record AND she beat my marathon PR from 2009 by over a minute. She had done it and this was her 29th marathon.

A good friend of ours gave us free entry into the Zooma Women’s Half Marathon this past weekend so we both registered. Ami had run a 1:39 half just two days prior at the Thanksgiving Atlanta Half Marathon and I had a 100 mile race the following weekend, so we sort of decided that we would stick together and not push too terribly hard. When the gun went off, we suddenly found ourselves 2nd and 3rd overall and were running a 7 minute pace. Wow! I thought, I wouldn’t be able to keep this up. My goal for the rest of the race was to try and keep up with Ami who is clearly faster than myself at this point. I loved chasing Ami. She is finishing this race, on tired legs from a fast half marathon just 48 hours ago, before me. This was one of the best races of my life.

-Beth McCurdy

Mental Floss compiled a list of  11 Ways to Cheat While Running a Marathon.  Instead of teasing it as advice we’ll call them for what they are…CHEATERS!

Here is a look at that list:

10 Biggest Marathon Cheaters/Ways to Cheat a Marathon (Full Article on Mental Floss)

1. Do Not Run Most of It: Rosie Ruiz (Boston, 1980)
2. Get Someone Else to Run it for You: Xiamen Students (China, 2010)
3. Have Your Manager Give You a Ride: Fred Lorz (St. Louis, 1904)
4. Skip Miles 13-23: Anthony Gaskell (London, 2010)
5. Blow off the Checkpoints: Roberto Madrazo (Berlin, 2007)
6. Grab a Bus: Rob Sloan (Kielder, 2011)
7. Skip Ahead to the Part With the Prize Money: Martin Franklin (New York, 2001)
8. Hop on a Bicycle: The Montreal Biker (2011)
9. Hop in a News Van: Dane Patterson (Arizona, 2009)
10. (and 11.) Split the Course With Your Brother (and Use PEDs): The Motsoeneng Brothers (South Africa, 1999)

Read detailed descriptions of the atrocity each runner committed to cheat a marathon at Mental Floss (LINK)!

I’d add attaching your timing/computer chip/D(B) tag to another runner’s leg or shoe to the list above.

I think we will always think of Rosie Ruiz when it comes to marathon cheating even if the sport has a 100 more cheating scandals over the next 20 years.  She is like the gold standard when it comes to cheating a marathon.

Perhaps marathons across the country should all retire her bib number (W50), not out of a sign of respect, but as a reminder to how awful it is to cheat a marathon.

No, that is not Rosie and former President George W. Bush after the 1980 Boston Marathon. That is Rosie and the legit overall winner Bill Rodgers.

Pop Quiz: Who was the actual and legitimate female winner at the 1980 Boston Marathon?

The answer is Jacqueline Gareau with a time of 2:34:58.

Jackie also won the 1979 National Capital Marathon in Ottawa, Canada in 2:47:58 and the 1988 Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota with a time of 2:43:27.

The new boss sure looks a lot like the old boss!  Here is the new 2012 Boston Marathon logo that keeps in line with it’s famed history with just a few minor updates to it for the 2012 race.

The 116th running of the Boston Marathon will take place on April 16, 2012.

Congrats to all who qualified and got into the 2012 event.

You can follow the Boston Marathon on Twitter @BostonMarathon

“I used to do a little, but a little wouldn’t do it, so the little got more and more. I just keep trying to get a little better, said a little better than before” – ‘Mr. Brownstone’ (GNR)

The Lean Horse 100 Mile Ultra Marathon took place on August 27-28, 2011. The race started about 8 miles west of Hot Springs, South Dakota at 6am just as the sun was starting to peak over the Black Hills.

The race was created by running legend Jerry Dunn who ran 200 marathons in 2000 and the New York City Marathon 28x in a row on the NYC course before running the official NYC Marathon on the 29th day.  He did a similar thing with the Boston Marathon as well.  Sports Illustrated even did a brief piece on him back in 2002.

Lean Horse is run on the George S. Mickelson Trail for about 90 miles. The rest of the race is on pavement for about 8 miles and grass/trail for 2 miles. The Mickelson trail is composed of crushed gravel. The surface is extremely smooth and fast for a 100.

About 120 runners started the 100 mile race and 77 finished. A 50K and 50 miler also started at the same time –  so the trail, which is fairly wide, was a bit congested for a few early miles.

It was a warm morning which was an indicator of how hot it would get later on that morning and afternoon. Temperatures seemed to reach the low 90’s from around 11-4.  The trail doesn’t provide too much shade so the sun was hitting us square on for several hours.  This created some runner tan lines that a candy cane would be jealous of.

I hadn’t run in any sort of elevation in a long time so I wasn’t sure how it would impact my running, if at all.  The race started at 4,200 feet above sea level and climbs slowly for the first 50 miles. At mile 26 it reaches 5,500 before dipping back down to 5,200 a few miles later before climbing to the highest point at 5,882 around mile 38.

The elevation was not a factor to me. I just didn’t seem to notice it during the race.

During the heat of the day I could hear the echo of many native prairie rattlesnake’s rattle echoing off the sides of the low mountains I was running between.

Dunn’s main objective is wanting everyone to finish the race. He is lax on some minor things in hopes that as many runners as possible can finish 100 miles. The 30 hour time limit is not relaxed though. All runners have to finish before that time to get an official time and belt buckle.  Those runners finishing in less than 24 hours get a sub-24 buckle.

The race allowed for 4 drop bags that we would cross 7 times at miles 9, 16, 29, 48, 64, 76, and 83.  I found that was very adequate for us non-crewed runners. However, aid stations seemed a bit too spread out at times, especially during the hottest part of the day.  Some aid stations were 6.6 and 8.3 miles apart. That made conservation of water a must at times, especially for those going light with just a handheld water bottle.  A good number of runners had a crew, but I didn’t see any real advantage to that. To me it seemed like a major burden to the family, friend, or hired help that was having to stay awake to help his or her runner.  A crew is not at all necessary for this race.

I had a great first 50 miles. My fastest on record at 11:16:00. At mile 48 though  I started to slow. After running for 11 hours in the heat, and the last 6 on so in direct sun and temps in the 90’s, I was tired. The climb back up from 48 to 58 was grinding. I just wanted to lay down and take a nap.  A runner who had caught me tried to cheerlead and pace me through those miles, but I eventually told her to go on.  I didn’t want to slow anyone else down, especially when they were feeling so good and strong.  A runner must make hay while the sun is out – metaphorically speaking. I later found out that she made a lot of hay and had a really great race.

The course elevation profile makes it out to look as if when you get to mile 55 that it will be downhill the rest of the way home.  This is not true. There are countless climbs…albeit none that are backbreaking. After turning around at mile 48 you climb from 5,018 feet back up to 5,882 feet around the Crazy Horse Monument at mile 58/59.  From that point to the finish it is a pretty nice overall decline in elevation but it rolls a lot.  Most of the elevation drop came in the last 14 miles.

My stomach wasn’t happy for most of the race. Porta-potties were scarce, but big rocks on the side of the trail were available from time to time.  If you ran up on one of these spray-painted rocks then I feel sorry for you. It must have been the bears, bisons or mountain lions.  Too much honey can be a bad thing….so I hear!

There were parts in the last 10 miles where the road was 30 feet wide and the drops so steep that the locals likely ski and snowboard down them in the harsh South Dakota winters.  I’ve never seen a downhill I couldn’t use to my advantage though and at that point I was so ready for the race to be over so I refused to break on the downhills and sped past many runners who thought I had been shot out of a cannon. I did my 95th mile in 9:16 and averaged 12:25 for the last 10 miles.

There has to be a part of every race where you Run It Fast no matter what type of runner you are.

In the last 10 miles I passed nearly 25 runners. No one passed me besides Marc Johnson who came back with 2 miles to go to re-pass me after I had passed him around mile 95.  We talked and ran the last 2 miles in together and looked out for snipers who might be aiming for us from behind. We pushed each other harder than if we had been alone.  I told him he was the stronger runner at that point and that I wasn’t going to race him to the finish.  It was Marc’s first 100 miler, and he did a great job finishing fast.  It was a very nice last couple of miles to finish my second 100 miler.

I finished the Lean Horse 100 in 26:30:57 after being on pace for a sub-24 hour finish for more than 60 miles.  However, I was pleased. I knocked 3 hours and 17 min off my previous 100 mile finish.

The race finished at the Mueller Center in Hot Springs where runners had parked their cars before catching shuttles, vans, cars, scooters to the start line. Dunn couldn’t have been happy when the buses to transport the runners to the starting line were late to arrive.  Almost every runner had hitched a ride from a crewed runner by the time the bus made a cameo.

I hitched a ride from a fellow runner whose wife drove several of us on-edge runners to the start in their family mini-van. Luckily they knew where they were going.

I ran well from miles 1-48 and from 82 to the finish. I struggled from 49-81 but I was still moving well.  I was able to stay healthy throughout the race, unlike my first 100 miler at Rocky Raccoon back in February.  The only real issues I had were two blisters on the ball of both feet and a slightly upset stomach for 70 or so miles of the race.

The Mueller Center is a nice community center that hosted the packet pickup, expo, race Q&A, and finishing line.  A nice spread of food was provided for the runners upon finishing the race there.  Jerry was there to congratulate runners as they finished.  He also had driven his Lean Horse Ale black school bus back down Argyle Road the last few miles yelling encouragement at runners as a cloud of dust kicked up behind the custom ride.

The finisher’s Belt Buckle (see HERE) was extremely nice, shiny, and heavy metal!  A medal was also given to all finisher’s.  Those that placed in their age division received a horse shoe trophy. The male and female winners received a bust of a horse head.

Would I run this race again? Without a doubt! It’s a great place for someone wanting to run their first 100 or PR at the 100 distance.

The town also had a Taco Johns which is 37 and 1/2 degrees of yum!  It made the perfect post-race recovery meal and midnight snack.

Other places I’d recommend to eat in Hot Springs would be Dale’s Family Restaurant and the All-Star Cafe.  Both are local establishments.

Lean Horse 100 Ratings:

• Packet Pick Up/Expo: 8/10
• T-shirt/Goodies: 4/10
• Finisher’s Buckle/Medal: 9/10
• Running Surface: 10/10
• Course Navigability: 8/10
• Aid stations: 6/10
• Race Director(s): 10/10

– joshua holmes (2011)

Lean Horse 100 Website

Kilian Jornet is the overall winner of the 2011 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run.

He ran the 100 mile course, the Boston Marathon of 100-mile ultra marathons, in a time of 15:34.

Jornet is from Puigcerda, Spain.  He is the youngest male to ever win the race according to a tweet from ultra marathon god Scott Jurek.

2011 Western States Top 4 Results

1. Kilian Jornet – 15:34
2. Mike Wolfe – 15:38
3. Nick Clark – 15:50
4. Jez Bragg – 15:55
5. Tsuyoshi Kaburaki – 16:04

Ellie Greenwood was the female winner of the race with a time of 17 hours and 55 minutes.

2011 Western States Top 5 Women Results

1. Ellie Greenwood – 17:55
2. Kami Semick – 18:17
3. Nikki Kimball – 18:17
4. Tracy Garneau – 18:22
5. Rory Bosio – 18:37

Reports are surfacing that 2nd place female finisher Kami Semick was delayed 7 minutes by a mad mama bear. She waited for runners behind her to catch her. They then passed the pissed bear as a group.

Western States 100 Website

[image: @irunfar]

(REFRESH BROWSER FOR LIVE UPDATES)

2011 Boston Marathon Live Blog Coverage:

RESULTS: Geoffrey Mutai Sets Running World On Fire With 2:03:02 Boston Marathon Win (Male Results)

RESULTS: Kenyan Caroline Kilil Wins 2011 Boston Marathon (Female Results)

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5:52pm – Southern running legend Dink Taylor ran a very fast 2:57:46 today.  He’s been running sub-3’s for thirty years now!

4:03pm – The Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-1 in today’s Patriots Day game.

3:57pm – Check out the message Ryan Hall wrote on the bottom of his shoe before today’s 2011 Boston Marathon, “2:04 For the Poor!?!?!” – what time did Ryan run? He was prophetic in running a 2:04:56

3:39pm Geoffrey Mutai on his record breaking Boston Marathon win, “I am fulfilling my dream.”

3:37pm – 71-year old Dallas Smith finished 2nd in the 70-74 age bracket with his finishing time of 3:23:05. Simply amazing!

3:35pm – Ryan Hall via Twitter, “I’m still in shock…what an amazing day. God exceeded my wildest expectations. Congrats to everyone who finished!”

3:25pm – Other notable finishers: Brad Box 3:34:08, Gary Krugger 2:54:18, Morgan Cummings 4:37:08, Joan Benoit Samuelson 2:51:29, Chuck Engle 2:46?

2:40pm – Congrats to Corinth’s Kenneth Williams (@MarathonKoach) finishing yet another Boston Marathon. He came across today in 4:08:02.

2:25pm – Congrats to Run It Fast’s Chris Estes (@run_beast) in finishing his first Boston Marathon in 4:04:49.

2:00pm – Ashland City’s Jeff Matlock has finished in 3:33:13. Congrats on another BQ!

1:30pm – The amazing Dallas Smith (@smithbend), 71-years young, finishes the Boston Marathon with a time fo 3:23:05

1:17pm – Gary Allen finished in 2:55. His 5th consecutive decade with a sub 3 hour finish.

1:05pm – Josh Hite finishes the Boston Marathon with a time of 3:04:41. Congrats!

1:00pm – Mutai’s fastest marathon ever of 2:03:02 won’t count as the official world record because the Boston course is not an official ‘world record’ course.

12:55pm – American Kara Goucher, “”My plan was to run with pack as long as possible. It was a big step. It was tough, but I was please to get a PR (2:24:52).”

12:53pm – Second place female finisher, American Desiree Davila, “The last six miles were USA! USA! I imagine the Olympics are like that. It was the most excitement I’ve ever had in a race.”

12:50pm – Josh Hite hit 30K awhile back at a 6:32 pace. Dallas Smith at 30K was on a 7:41 pace.

12:47pm – Kenneth Williams half marathon time – 2:01:51. Keep trucking, Ken!

12:46pm – Jeff Matlock 30K pace is at 7:47.

12:14pm – Will be updating with results as they become official. One of the most exciting Boston Marathons of all-time. Great day for Mutai, Killel, Davila and Hall.

12:05pm – Here comes Ryan Hall in 4th place with an amazing time, fastest USA time ever of 2:04:58. Amazing day for Hall. He had left his coach in the past year to train himself. Whatever he is doing appears to be working.

12:04pm – 1. Geoffrey Mutai 2:03:02, 2. Moses Mosop 2:03:05, 3. Gebre Gebremariam 2:04:54, 4. Ryan Hall 2:04:56

12:03pm – KENYA’s GEOFFREY MUTAI WINS IN 2:03:02.  The course record was 2:05:52.

12:03pm – Mutai has really pulled away and has a 25 foot lead or so.

12:02pm – Mutai is pushing the pace towards the finish line. Mosop is about 18 inches behind him.

12:00pm – ONE MILE TO GO FOR THE MEN. Will it be Mutai or Mosop in his marathon debut?

11:58am – Mutai and Mosop continue to battle head-t0-head for the men at the 1:58:00 mark. It looks like a course record will fall again.

11:55am – Kenya’s Caroline Kilel wins the 115th Boston Marathon with a time of 2:22:36. American Desiree Davila finished in a very strong second. Kenya’s Timbilili finishs back in third.

11:55am – Killel has a last kick left and looks as if she is going to win the 115th Boston Marathon for the women.

11:54am – HERE COMES DESIREE DAVILA. 300 Meters to go.

11:53am – Davila is back in third but not dead yet.  Here she goes and passes both women for the lead.  She is kicking to hold it.  One Kenyan has fallen off.  Killel has retaken the lead. It looks like it will be either Davila or Killel.

11:51am – Moses Mosop, currently in the lead, is running his marathon debut today.

11:50am – Mutai and Mosop are currently 1-2 for the men.

11:48am – (F) 1985 was the last time an American woman won the Boston Marathon.

11:47am – (F) Davila is still in the lead at the 2:16:00 mark at the Citgo sign.

11:45am – Hall is 57 seconds behind Mutai.

11:44am – (F) Davila skips water as Killel and Timbilili grab fluids. She takes the lead with the move.

11:43am – (F) Davila is in the lead of a pack of three that includes herself, Killel, and Timbilili.

11:42am – Mutai’s 20 mile time 1:34:05 (4:32)

11:40am – Geoffrey Mutai has taken the lead and left everyone behind.  He has about a 8 second lead currently.

11:39am – (F) Davila is still in the lead at 2:07:00. Killel might be holding back a bit to out sprint her at the end.

11:33am – Ryan Hall 30K time 1:28:23 (4:44)

11:32am – Davila and Killel keep taking the lead. Killel’s gazelle legs make it look effortless for her. Davila keeps battling back to push the pace though.

11:30am – A very exciting 115th Boston Marathon so far.

11:28am – The women are about 25 minutes away from the finish line.  The men 35 minutes.

11:27am – (F) American Desiree Davila is currently battling for the female lead.  Davila is from Arizona State.

11:25am – Ryan Hall has the lead once again (1:24:50).

11:23am – Hall has surged back to the lead back and is making a push to get the lead again.

11:20am – Here are some 25K splits for the men: Hall 1:13:25 (4:43), Mutai 1:13:16 (4:42), Yegon 1:13:28 (4:43), R.K. Cheruiyot 1:13:26 (4:43), Evans Cheruiyot 1:13:26 (4:43).

11:19am – Jeff Matlock 10K time of 45:39 (7:20 pace).

11:18am – 71 yr old Dallas Smith hit 10K at 47:33 (7:39 pace).

11:17am – The head of the male field is as follows Daba, Mutai, R.K Cheruiyot, and Kipchumba. They are 1 hour 17 minutes in. Approximately 48 minutes to go.

11:16am – Chris Estes hit the 10K mark at 45:13 (7:16 pace)

11:15am – (F) Smith has now been passed by 5 runners. She had a great race up until this point at 1:43:05.

11:13am – Daba and several guys took off with Daba to put Ryan Hall in their dust. Hall is back 10 runners back now and several seconds. Daba is really pushing the pace now.

11:11am – BREAKING: (F) Kim Smith is injured. She pulled up lame for a bit but is back running and trying to work through it. No way she can for the remainder.  It looked a good bit more severe than just a cramp.

11:09am – (F) Smith looks like she is starting to labor a bit as the field continues to close in on her.  It doesn’t look like she will be able to hold onto the lead for the next 44 minutes.

11:06am – Hall hit 20K at 58:42.

11:06am – (F) Smith’s lead is down to 36 seconds.

11:05am – (F) The pack is starting to narrow Kim Smith’s lead.  We will know soon if she burned too much energy over the first 25K.

11:04am – (F) American Kara Goucher is fading a bit. She is about 15 runners back in the women’s field. This is her first marathon since having a baby.

10:59am – Ryan Hall doing his best Hulk Hogan impersonation trying to amp up the girls of Wellesley College to get louder as the elite men run through.

10:58am – (F) Tsuchida wins her fifth straight female Push Rim wheelchair marathon.

10:50am – (F) Kim Smith hit the half way point in 1:10:52.

10:49am – Bekana Daba is now the nearest elite. Running just a couple of feet behind Hall.

10:46am – Kim Smith’s 20K time 1:07:11.

10:45am – Ryan Hall’s 8 mile pace is 4 minutes 43 seconds per mile. That’s ffffast!

10:44am – Josh Hite hit the 10K mark at 39:49 (6:24 pace)

10:43am – (F) Smith has increased her lead to 53 seconds.

10:40am – Hall has surged to the lead again. It looks as if he has about a 30 foot lead, 39 minutes into their race.

10:37am – Nearing the finish of the wheelchair race….Japan’s Masazumi Soejima wins the Push Rim wheelchair race in 1:18:50.  Huge win for him and Japan. God’s speed!

10:36am – R.K. Cheruiyot has a small lead for the men.

10:28am – Receiving 10K times for the elite men. Cheruiyot 29:06 (4:40 pace), Hall 29:07, Yegon 29:07, Tola 29:06, Mutai 29:08

10:27am – (F) Kim Smith is currently running at a 2:21 pace.

10:26am – Hall hit the 5K mark awhile back at 14:29.

10:25am – Last year’s winner, and course record holder, R.K. Cheruiyot is on Hall’s right shoulder.

10:24am – 15 runners currently in the male elite lead pack. About 15 runners in the group.

10:22am – (F) Kim Smith continues to dominate for the women. She has about a 35 second lead, 50 minutes into the race.

10:21am – Hall’s pace for mile 4 was 4:32.

10:20am – The field has now caught Hall.  The elite pack has about 25-30 runners in it.

10:19am – A new Boston Marathon course record could happen today. The temperatures are cool and there is a strong tailwind.  Perfect day to Run It Fast in Boston.

10:16am – Hall continues to lead but the field is close within range.  Hall clapping a few spectator’s hands along the way.

10:13am – The elite male pack is not letting Hall get beyond a 25 foot lead or so.

10:11am – Hall is continuing to push the pace.  Hall’s first mile 4 minutes and 36 seconds!!! FAST! Second mile 4:32.  The tailwind is kind to the runners today.

10:10am – (F) Kim Smith continues to pull away from the elite women. None of the other elites seems too concerned so far.

10:04am – Hall has taken the lead for the third year in a row. I’m not the only one questioning his approach this morning.

10:01am – Ryan Hall, perhaps having not learned from last year’s Boston Marathon, has taken the early lead.

10:00am EDT – 2011 Boston Marathon Elites and 1st Wave has STARTED!

9:59am – 1 minute until the elite men begin!

9:58am – Kim Smith came through the 5K mark at 16:41. She has about a 30 second lead.

9:56am – 71-yr old Dallas Smith will be the odd’s on favorite to win his age division today. Dallas is a regular contributor here on Run It Fast.

9:55am – Chris Estes is wanting to go sub 3 hours today. Will he do it? His best and BQ time is 3:11 from Tupelo last year.

9:52am – Less than 10 minutes until the elite men start.

9:44am – New Zealand’s Kim Smith has taken the early lead about 5K into the women’s race.  She has about a 150 yard lead. Is she going out too hard?

9:40am – According to BAA, 80 year-old Sister Madonna Buder is the oldest competitor registered in this year’s race!

9:35am – The elite women have started as well now. (Elite Women Field)

9:31am – The hand cyclists and visually impaired have begun.

9:30am – 49 degrees at the start line in Hopkinton currently.

9:25am – Click HERE to view all of the Elite Runners in today’s marathon field.

9:20am – Run It Fast contributors and readers we will be keeping up with throughout the live blog will include Chris Estes (pictured above), Dallas Smith, Jeff Matlock, Kenneth Williams, and Josh Hite among others.

9:10am EDT – 50 Minutes until the start of the 2011 Boston Marathon

2011 Boston Marathon Top Results as they happen.

Good luck to all participants running the 115th Boston Marathon!

Related 2011 Boston Marathon Stories

• Geoffrey Mutai Sets Running World on Fire with 2:03:02 Boston Marathon Win (Male Results)
• Caroline Kilel Wins 2011 Boston Marathon (Female Results)
• 115th Boston Marathon Finisher’s Medal
• Live Blog: 2011 Boston Marathon (Results)
• Photos from the 2011 Boston Marathon
• Elite Runners at the 2011 Boston Marathon
• Better Run It Fast for New Boston Marathon Qualifying Times
• 2011 Boston Marathon Filled Up In Just 8 Hours
• The 10 Best Marathons to Qualify for Boston

Here is a look at the elite marathoners running the 2011 Boston Marathon on Patriot’s Day, April 18, 2011.

LIVE BLOG: 2011 Boston Marathon (Results)

Elite Boston Marathon Men

• Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (Kenya) – 2:05:52 – Boston 2010 (Defending Champ)
• Ryan Hall (United States) – Best Marathon 2:06:17 – London Marathon 2007
• Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya) – 2:04:55 – Rotterdam Marathon 2010
• Gebre Gebremariam (Ethiopia) – 2:08:14 NYC Marathon 2010
• Alistair Cragg (Ireland) – Marathon Debut
• Evans Cheruiyot (Kenya)
• Bekana Daba (Ethiopia)
• Tadese Tola (Ethiopia)
• Robert Kipchumba (Kenya)
• Gilbert Yegon (Kenya)
• Moses Kigen Kipkosgei (Kenya)
• Moses Mosop (Kenya) – Marathon Debut

Elite Boston Marathon Women

• Teyba Erkesso (Ethiopia)
• Tatyana Pushkareva (Russia)
• Dire Tune (Ethiopia)
• Kara Goucher (United States)
• “Queen” Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) – 4-time Boston Marathon Champion
• Florence Kiplagat (Kenya)
• Desiree Davila (United States)
• Blake Russell (United States)
• Kim Smith (New Zealand)

The male and female winner of the 2011 Boston Marathon will each receive $150,000.00 in prize money out of a prize pot of $806,000.00.

Related 2011 Boston Marathon Stories

• Geoffrey Mutai Sets Running World on Fire with 2:03:02 Boston Marathon Win (Male Results)
• Caroline Kilel Wins 2011 Boston Marathon (Female Results)
• 115th Boston Marathon Finisher’s Medal
• Live Blog: 2011 Boston Marathon (Results)
• Photos from the 2011 Boston Marathon
• Elite Runners at the 2011 Boston Marathon
• Better Run It Fast for New Boston Marathon Qualifying Times
• 2011 Boston Marathon Filled Up In Just 8 Hours
• The 10 Best Marathons to Qualify for Boston

[source: BAA]

Here is a compilation of photos from the 2011 Boston Marathon (and expo).  The Marathon takes place on April 18, 2011.

Most of the photos below were sent in to us by Run It Fast contributor Chris ‘The Beast’ Estes.  Chris is running his first Boston Marathon. He qualified in just his third marathon, the Tupelo Marathon in Tupelo, Mississippi.

LIVE BLOG: 2011 Boston Marathon (Results)

RELATED: Elite Marathoners at the 2011 Boston Marathon

Related 2011 Boston Marathon Stories

• Geoffrey Mutai Sets Running World on Fire with 2:03:02 Boston Marathon Win (Male Results)
• Caroline Kilel Wins 2011 Boston Marathon (Female Results)
• 115th Boston Marathon Finisher’s Medal
• Live Blog: 2011 Boston Marathon (Results)
• Photos from the 2011 Boston Marathon
• Elite Runners at the 2011 Boston Marathon
• Better Run It Fast for New Boston Marathon Qualifying Times
• 2011 Boston Marathon Filled Up In Just 8 Hours
• The 10 Best Marathons to Qualify for Boston

The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) announced on Wednesday that they are lowering the time to qualify for the Boston Marathon by 5 minutes for both genders of all age classifications.

The change is in response to the 2011 Boston Marathon filling up in just over 8 hours.

There will also be no 0:59 second leeway on the times. (Example: A 3:05:59 will no longer qualify you. You have to actually be under 3:05.)

The New Boston Marathon Qualifying Times

The updated qualifying times will go into effect for the 2013 marathon.

Fair or unfair?

I now, only, have to run a 3:05 to qualify. Happy up!

The Boston Marathon is a Super Bowl of sorts for marathon runners.  There is usually around 25,000 spots for the race with 6,000 of those going to charities and corporations.  That leaves around 19,000 coveted positions for runners who BQ’ed (Boston Qualified) at marathon races throughout the country over the past year.

Last year it took nearly two months for the race to fill up.  Every year before that you could register almost up until race day for the most part.

Yesterday, the first day you could register for the 2011 Boston Marathon, the race filled up in just eight hours.  26,800 runners registered on the Boston Athletic Association website between 9:00 AM and 5:03 PM.

Extreme marathoner Chuck ‘Marathonjunkie’ Engle and others kept dibs on Facebook as the registration numbers kept rising throughout the day. Engle and others claimed computer issues with the Boston Marathon website made it hard early on in the day to sign up.

What does all of that mean?  It means a lot of runners that set the goal of running Boston and qualified at a race during the past year will have to try to qualify again now for the 2012 Boston Marathon.

It does seem a bit harsh and unfair.  One day, one shot, one good internet connection in order to run the Super Bowl of marathons.

Well, there is always next year….maybe!

RELATED: The 10 Best Marathons to Qualify for Boston