RACE REVIEW:BOSTON MARATHON 2025

"When I said I couldn't take no more 

(you can, you can do anything)

You said I (you can do anything)"

~ 'You Can Do Anything'

Last Monday, I lined up for my eleventh Boston Marathon.  It was also my fifth with MABVI's Team With A Vision and as a guide for a visually impaired runner.  This year I was synched up with Jared Broughton who lives up in Canada.  Jared and I connected back in November of 2024 and talked regularly throughout our training cycle but didn't meet in person until Saturday of marathon weekend.  It's not ideal, but it's just the way it works, so you do the best you can.  Both of us were running as members of Puma's Project 3 so our gear and fuel was provided by Puma which was beyond amazing.  A little background for you.  Jared has been running competitively for fifteen years and has a 3:01 personal best.  Last year he went for a sub-3 at Boston and blew up in the heat.  He felt terrible for multiple weeks after the race and just had a really bad taste in his mouth about Boston in general.  When we first spoke he let me know that while he was still chasing a sub-3, he did not want to put that pressure on himself for this year's Boston.  So time was off the table.  His goals, he told me, were to  run smart and finish strong.  He just wanted to walk away from the race feeling physically decent and mentally fulfilled.  Coincidentally, I had been chasing the same goal last year and I also blew up in the heat.  So, not only could I relate to his situation but I was more than thrilled to run it with the same goals as Jared.  Fast forward through an absolutely brutal winter and we somehow managed to successfully make it to April, both of us ready for redemption.  

On Saturday morning we met up at Puma's pop-up shop on Boylston street which they called The High Point.  Is it strange to meet the person you're guiding two days before the race and then do a practice run with them hoping that you will be sufficient as a guide even though he doesn't really have a choice in the matter?  A little bit, yea.  Fortunately, Jared is calm and cool and was very patient with me as we worked through the run together and I figured out how best to communicate.  Jared can see directly in front of himself in close range but has no peripheral vision or depth perception and is very sensitive to light.  When he runs with a guide he prefers not to be tethered as he likes to have full movement of his arms.  Being tethered is definitely easier for the guide as they have more control over where and when their athlete moves but I also understand and respect the need for anyone to use their arms while they are running and was more than willing to figure out how to guide with my voice instead.  As we cruised along I called out things like potholes (holy crap, there are a lot in the city), sewers, curbs and stairs.  Jared asked me to point at the obstacles as I called them out because he could see my finger right in front of him and having both the vocal and visual cues were helpful.  So, we got about four miles in total doing this.  I definitely could have used a few more of these practice runs.  Oh well.  We finished the run and then settled back down at The High Point and spent some time getting to know each other better over coffee and bagels.  After about an hour, we said our goodbyes for the day, our plan being to meet up for dinner later that night and then to meet at his hotel on Monday before the race.  I won't lie, I walked away feeling really nervous.  Excited, too.  But mostly nervous.  I have guided before but I've never done it for someone running at a pretty fast clip so this situation was new for me.  I tried not to think about it as we got through the rest of the weekend and focused on being sharp and ready to go when Sunday rolled around.  

Puma provided us with a very cool race kit and I was psyched that Jared and I would likely stand out in bright orange on the course.  They also gave us some very fast shoes which, sadly, I was not able to wear because they did not work for my feet.  But Jared was using them and loved them so that was all that mattered.  As usual, I was in bed early on Saturday night.  Jared and I were meeting at his hotel at 5am so I needed to get up around 4:00 for coffee and breakfast before heading out.  Not that I need an excuse to go to bed early, as you probably know by now.

I don't care how much of a morning person you are, 4:00am is stupid early.  I rolled out of bed and made coffee while feeding Clover who has zero concept of time and just assumes she will be fed if I'm awake.  I mean, she's a lab.  So, it's fair.  I left my house at 4:30 and drove over to Jared's hotel in Brookline.  I parked and found everyone from TWAV and then we loaded the bus that was taking us over to the main BAA meeting area for all of the Para athletes.

We drank some shitty coffee on the bus and dozed a little before getting out at our next stop.  Both of us could have probably used a little more nap time.  That's not really how it works, though.  We got out at the main hotel and joined the rest of the Para athletes; all of us now waiting to load the busses that would take us to Hopkinton.  The scene was loud and the room was crowded and for a while Jared and I were stuck sitting on the floor.  It was a little more chaotic than we had expected but we just tried to stay relaxed and conserve energy.  Finally around 7am we got on the bus for our last trip out to Hopkinton.  In years past all of the visually impaired runners and their guides met up at a Vision Center a little ways from the start and waited around on the floor until our wave was called. Now the BAA provides an elite tent for all Para athletes that is heated, has chairs to sit on and is stocked with food and drinks.  So we got off the bus and walked directly into our fancy tent and this was wonderful.  

I put my stuff down and got Jared settled and then looked over to see Joyce Cron, who I had guided back in 2014 and 2015.  She and I have stayed in touch over the last ten years and I was really psyched to have some time to catch up with her in person.  I sat back down next to Jared and I got the sense that he was now a little nervous as he had quieted down quite a bit and seemed to be zeroed in and focused.  We zipped outside the tent for a quick pre-race photo and then got all of our ducks in a row before being called out to the line.  

Before we started we watched the elite women walk by which was insanely cool.  Jared couldn't see them but I was letting him know who was passing in front of us.  Both of us are big fans of all of these amazing women; particularly those from the US.  Des Linden, Emma Bates, Keira D'Amato, Sarah Hall and more.  So much badassery in that group.  We were geeking out big time.  For all the previous times I have guided, the BAA started the visually impaired athletes in the back of the pack.  Last year they changed this and they now start right behind the elite woman at 9:50.  Walking to the start without the crowd of people pushing, shoving and talking around us was absolute bliss.  I am so glad they changed this process.  

THE RACE

Miles 1-5 (8:14, 7:17, 7:24, 7:27, 7:32)

As you may know, the start of the Boston course is downhill.  If you go too fast during these miles, it will undoubtedly bite you in the ass at the end.  Jared was trying really hard to keep his pace under control.  We had decided to start closer to 8:00 min pace and after a very quick bathroom break in mile one we locked in to what felt good for him.  I literally can't run any slower than this he told me even though our pace was faster than we'd planned.  That's how hard it is to pull back and I get it.  We did our best.  The cool thing about this part of the race for us was that since we had started before the masses, we had several miles with no one around us.  It was quiet and almost peaceful.  There were no crowds so we could talk to each other easily.  After being thrown into instant madness with my runners in previous years, this was an absolute dream and I soaked up every second of it. 

I was able to take some time here to figure out a system that worked for Jared as far as when and how to let him know there were things he needed to be aware of.  What worked best was to run a couple steps in front of him and call out the obstacles while also pointing at them as we approached each one as he could see my finger by the time he needed to focus on it.  I was grateful that we had a few miles to practice this and get it right before the rest of the crowd caught up with us.  Eventually, a biker rode by and told us we had about 10 minutes until the lead men would be coming and we needed to move to the side to allow for both the lead vehicle and the pack behind it.  Clearly, we were very grateful for that info and both of us made a point to thank him.

Miles 6-14 (7:32, 7:32, 7:44, 7:43, 7:40, 7:51, 7:45, 7:49, 7:41)

Eventually, the first wave caught up with us and then, for me, the real work began.  As I mentioned, Jared does not like to run with a tether so I was trying to run as close to him as I could without hitting him with my elbows.  We had gotten into a pretty good groove with our pace but now I was focused on making sure he knew what was in the road, keeping people from running in between us and grabbing him fluids at each water stop.  The challenge with this being that people would dart in front of me to grab a cup and inevitably break us up and I would have to get fluids for Jared and myself while also keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't get lost in the shuffle.  All of this while running at a pretty fast pace made things very challenging and I was definitely stressed out though doing my best to keep Jared from sensing it.  As we got closer to the Wellesley scream tunnel I said to him, it's about to get really loud.  I'm going to have to yell for you to hear me.  And I'm going to need you to really pay attention because you won't hear me otherwise.  And while he agreed with me and got himself locked in, nothing could prepare us for what was to come.  The noise was beyond what we could have imagined.  I have done Boston before and clearly I'm familiar with this section, but when you're guiding someone and they need to hear you it puts it in a whole different perspective.  Jared is also incredibly sensitive to sound so as we ran through this part he had his hands up to his ears as it was just too much for him to handle.  Getting successfully through this was a major hurdle for both of us.

Miles 15-21 (7:47, 7:38, 8:05, 8:04, 7:56, 7:29, 7:40)

Okay, so now we were getting ready to tackle the hills.  Not that this was a big deal for Jared.  He runs on hills in Canada all the time and was not even remotely intimidated by them.  I did notice that he was having to work a little harder in general and his breathing was getting louder.  I think the heat and the intensity were just slightly chipping away at him and he was really starting to feel it at this point.  He turned to me and said, I just can't give much more than this right now, to which I responded, this is perfect.  You're right where you need to be.  No stress.  We got this.  After the third hill he asked me if we'd gotten over Heartbreak yet.  I had to tell him no, that we had one more to go and I could see that was a bit of a blow but he just nodded and powered on.  But then we got up and over Heartbreak hill with no issues and once we crested I turned and let him know the hills were done.   Okay, he said, let's do this.  

Miles 22-26.2 (7:26, 7:35, 7:26, 7:15, 7:00, 6:52)

Go time.  Jared found a new gear and we started rolling.  We were passing people left and right.  The crowds were wild.  Cups were all over the place.  None of it mattered.  Jared was laser focused.  He wanted to prove to me, to himself, to everyone out there how fit and feisty he was and he was doing it in spades.  I was holding on for dear life, trying to make sure we didn't miss anything on the ground as we picked up the pace and brought it home.  It was terrifying and thrilling.  All of it.  Just so totally wild.  We turned onto Boylston street and flew down the final stretch finishing in an impressive three hours and twenty two minutes.  

What. A Ride.  We did it and it was beautiful.  Jared had accomplished everything he'd set out to do.  He ran smart, kept himself in check, fueled well, hydrated well, crushed the hills and then finished in beast mode.  Running a marathon is so freaking hard.  For anyone.  I can't even begin to wrap my head around how challenging it must be for someone whose vision is impaired.  I'd like to believe I could do it if I was in Jared's shoes, but I honestly don't know.  The drive and desire to push at this level while also totally depending on someone else to do it with you is just next level shit.  I am just so in awe of him and all Para athletes who have an added level of difficulty when taking on something this big.  Jared was in really good shape when we finished and made our way to the tent.  His calves were tight, but other than that he was walking fine and seemed totally in control.  He took a second here to reflect.  I definitely understand the course better and have more respect for it now he told me as we shuffled along.  All I wanted was a better experience and a faster time than last year.  So, mission accomplished.  Drop.  Mic.  Bravo, Jared.

Listen to this:

You Can Do Anything - DJ Lucas Beat, Jason Derulo, Sia

DJ Lucas Beat · You Can Do Anything (MTG DA SIA)