Boston Marathon runners visit finish line, share excitement one day before race
Runners visited the finish line in Boston and snapped selfies in the rain one day before Marathon Monday. Athletes were eager for a soggy Sunday to dry out, making way for what could be ideal running conditions on Monday – brisk, breezy, and mostly dry, albeit a bit chilly for spectators with the potential for pop-up showers. “We’ve trained through everything,” said Karen Lukic of Canada.
“I have kit for everything – minus-20, plus-30. Whatever you have to throw at us, I was going to come prepared for it. ” Among Lukic’s group from Ontario, George Drew recalled his first Boston Marathon and his reason for coming back each year.
In 2013, his then-seven-year-old daughter stood near the youngest bombing victim, Martin Richard, at the finish line earlier in the race. “The thing that got me back here was [my daughter] said, ‘Dad, we have to come back here, so bad people don’t win,’” Drew told Boston 25 News. Among Drew’s Boston runs was the torrential rain of 2018, causing hypothermic conditions and hospitalizations even for experienced runners.
“My gloves fell off. I was freezing,” Drew recalled. “And it was probably a bad idea to wear shorts.
But I did, and it was a great finish. And I remember lying in our hotel room for about an hour with the shower warming up. I was shivering for about an hour.