MARATHON MEDICAL TEAM READY TO DEAL WITH WEATHER
THE BOSTON GLOBE
Race director Dave McGillivray (at left, talking to the Hoyts), believes proper preparations have been made for the weather. 2014 FILE/MATTHEW J. LEE/GLOBE STAFF
Monday’s weather forecast likely will make for a Tale of Two Races — one for the elite runners who’ll be finishing around noon and another for the five-hour bunch who’ll arrive on Boylston Street after 4 p.m. The former group should remain dry. The latter will be dealing with rain and an easterly wind around 20 miles an hour.
“People always say, it’s going to be 55 and sunny or 48 and rainy — well, when, where and for who?” said race director Dave McGillivray. “What goes on in Hopkinton doesn’t necessarily go on in Boston.”
The elite women will go off at 9:32 a.m. with the fourth wave of 7,500 not underway until 11:15.
“Not only are they starting two hours later, they’re running probably two to three hours longer so they’re effectively out on that road six hours longer than the elites,” says McGillivray. “So the elites can get through this without a problem. The ones who are running a three-, four-, five-hour pace are the ones that we have to be most concerned about.”
So race organizers have alerted their medical team about the possibility of cold rain and have made prudent preparations.
Marathon runners and fans along the 26-mile course can expect rain, wind, and temperatures in the 40s throughout the day.
“We have the ponchos, we have buses at the finish line in case people get in trouble,” said McGillivray. “I think we’re fine with those conditions.”
Rainsberger on hand
Firing the starting gun for the women’s elite race will beLisa Larsen Rainsberger, whose 1985 victory here (by a whopping eight minutes) was the last by an American.
“It’s crazy,” said Rainsberger, who was the last champion before the prize-money era and the last to break the tape at the old finish line at the Prudential Center. “Who would have thought? I’m eager for the drought to be ended because I’m hugely patriotic. I’m rooting for the home team here.”
Besides Rainsberger’s triumph, there are multiple significant anniversaries this year. It’s the 85th of Clarence DeMar’s record seventh and final victory, the 80th of Johnny Kelley’s first triumph and 70th of his final one, the 40th of the first of Bill Rodgers’s four wreaths, the 35th of faker Rosie Ruiz’s “victory” that later was awarded to Jacqueline Gareau, the 25th of Gelindo Bordin’s, the only Olympic men’s champion to win here, the 15th of Elijah Lagat’s and Gezahegne Abera’s photo finish, and the 10th of Catherine “The Great” Ndereba’s record fourth women’s title.
Samuelson has goals
Three decades after she set the American record of 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 21 seconds in Chicago, two-time Boston champion Joan Benoit Samuelson will take the line Monday with an age-appropriate time in mind.
“The goal is to run 2:57 or better at 57, 2:58 at 58, and then 3 hours at 60,” said the Olympic gold medalist, who has won three of the last four veterans crowns here and set the course mark of 2:50:29 in 2013. “And then I’m finished. I really am at that point.”
Samuelson’s US mark stood for 18 years until Deena Kastor posted a 2:21:16 in London. Kastor holds the current record of 2:19:36 (London, 2006).
“It’s going to be broken again Monday,” Samuelson predicted. “I’m really excited about Shalane [Flanagan] and Des [Linden] going head to head and Amy Hastings will be right there to pick up the pieces if they falter. It’s going to be really exciting. I wish I could watch this year’s race.”