Patriot’s Day is a State Holiday in Massachusetts and Maine – It Commemorates the Battles of Concord & Lexington and The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. In Greater Boston, It is also Marathon Monday.
When we lived near Boston, we were faithful Marathon Watchers. At first, we watched the runners from “Scream Alley”, the stretch of Rte 135 that passes by Wellesley College ( my stepmother worked there) where enthusiasm for the first female runner to pass through was especially high. Then we would race home to watch the finish on the local TV station.
For many years we had friends and acquaintances who ran. There were regulars like Joan Benoit, Dick Hoyt with his son Rick, Bill Rodgers who we cheered on.
Now, our children’s friends are the runners, with a few exceptions – a high school classmate ran last year. We also watched many Marathons from Natick Center, which is about half way and the crowds are more spread out, so you can set yourself up in a chair along the route and a local Elvis impersonator serenades the crowds and runners with multiple renditions of Sweet Caroline.
Team Hoyt is one of my favorite Marathon memories. This father and son duo completed 1,000 races together including 32 Boston Marathons. The crowd always goes wild when they pass and many spectators tear up at the sight of this father’s love for his son.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of The Boston Marathon Bombing at the finish line -which put Boston on lockdown as the hunt for the suspects ensued and resulted in the coining of the phrase – Boston Strong.
This Day in History Boston Marathon Bombing
