One of the most prestigious days in running is only a matter of hours away from taking place. The 128th edition of the Boston Marathon is finally here, and the scene is set for another wonderful race.
Each mile is full of history and will be filled with great energy if the previous races are any indication of what we can expect on Monday. The elite field in both the men’s and women’s professional races will include some of the most talented athletes in the marathon who will look to showcase their skills at the event.
Hellen Obiri looks to defend her title after winning the Boston Marathon last year. She’ll face stiff competition from the other women in the field, including Emma Bates, who looks to have another stellar performance at the Boston Marathon after finishing fifth last year.
Evens Chebet is looking to win his third consecutive Boston Marathon title, as he headlines the men’s field. The American contingent will be well represented, as elite marathoners such as CJ Albertson look to have a strong showing on the day. Legend Meb Keflezighi will be taking to the streets in support of the MEB Foundation on the 10-year anniversary of his 2014 victory.
I had the opportunity to catch up with the legendary Deena Kastor to get her thoughts on the Boston Marathon, how much the race means to her and to discuss some other fun topics ahead of the big day.
Dom: What are you excited about when it comes to the Boston Marathon this year?
Deena: You know, Boston always has surprises. I love the race for that. You could see the people with the fastest times going into it and the best times don’t translate on the Boston course. You have to be a tactician, you have to have almost that cross-country grit in you to perform well. And that’s on the professional side. And then with the masses, the whole story that I love about Boston is that everyone tried so hard to get there. So the anticipation of that first and then if it’s a disappointment, then you try another year and if it’s the excitement, then you ready yourself to take on the hills that are the Boston Marathon. And so I just love that it’s such a celebrated day.
Dom: What is your fondest memory of the marathon that took place in Boston, anytime that you ran or as a spectator?
Deena: Well, I’ll say that in 2018, when the weather was so nasty. It was like rain, sleet, and cold. I remember right before getting on the starting line thinking, I’ve got an edge on everyone. My training went really well. I’ve got an edge on everyone because my mind is stronger than anyone’s out here, and I got pulled from being hypothermic at mile 13. But while I was on that, cot shivering, they had a little television monitor that the police department had and they were showing the race, and I got to watch Des Linden win that race. So as I was having my own little pity party and trying to get warm, I was warmed from the inside out seeing that DesLinden won that race so that was super special. Also seeing (Meb Keflezighi) win that race after the Boston Marathon bombings. He was so invested in making it a good story, a good comeback story for Boston and America in general.
So there’s a lot of Boston memories and when you look at the history, especially of being the oldest marathon in our country – it’s also where women’s marathon running got its start. And so when you look at the likes of Bobbi Gibb and Katherine Switzer – Bobby Gibb maybe giving Katherine Switzer a nudge to find a way to compete the next year, or how it inspired me and Nina Kusick and Miki Gorman. And then it became an Olympic sport 40 years ago. So those women had to prove themselves first for it to even be considered to be an Olympic sport. So you look at my role model and idol growing up has long been Joan Benoit Samuelson even before I became a marathon runner not just because of the history she made that day, but that she just continues to give back to the sport. Year after year, she shows up at major marathons and connects with people and sponsors. And I just think she’s really done a great job of staying in the sport and paying thanks for the past 40 years of winning her medal. So I think Boston has such a rich history for so many, so many reasons. But personally, it’s because of women finally showing up and showing that they could do it there.
Dom: What does this new role that you have in the sport mean to you? Why is it so special to watch these miraculous performances at all of these meets?
Deena: The sport maintains this special place for me because I appreciate it on all levels. To see (Fiona O’Keefe) in her first-ever marathon just nail it like a boss and win the Olympic Trials – I always assumed that that would eventually be her event in the marathon because she’s trained here in Mammoth and she’s just beautiful to watch run especially in the longer distances. When everybody’s fading on a long run, she just seems to come out of her shell and her stride gets more beautiful. So I was super proud of watching that race unfold for her. Emily Sisson – the American record holder, target on her back and knowing how critical this race is that you have to come into the top three to represent the United States. So I just felt really proud of her and the leadership she has in the sport right now being that record holder and now representing Team USA for a second time. And then Dakota, I always love watching her run, because she just emanates joy when she’s doing it. So I love that these women are still at it trying to chase PRs and make teams, and that was so important to me for so many years.
And the other side of it, seeing what other people get out of it, knowing that the sport is going to be like that for them when they get to my age, is that they keep doing it because it keeps you physically fit. But it really allows you to draw on challenges and the tools that it takes to rise above that challenge and, really show up for yourself in a big way. It’s mentally and physically challenging, but it is so emotionally rewarding to take part in this sport. And I think that’s why people keep signing up for these races, for that feeling we get at the finish line, despite the fact that that last 10k was the most miserable we’ve been in our entire lives, we crossed that finish line, and it is the best feeling. And that juxtaposition is so intense of the struggle to elation. And it is a crisis moment when you’re like why am I still doing this if I’m not getting any faster, a big crisis moment. But when you realize I still love this sport, I still get so much out of it today that I did 20 years ago, it really just allows you to stay mentally sharp and in tune and always be gritty and resilient and determined. And so for that, I feel like it’s a gift to keep doing it so that I can have those qualities at the forefront of my life.
Dom: What advice do you have for runners in the difficult part of the course?
Deena: I think my advice for people running Boston – before you panic at the Newton Hills in front of you, just think that your body gets to use muscles, some muscles get to shut off and relax for a little bit while you’re climbing these hills and the other ones are working.
Dom: What mental advice would you give other runners as they’re headed into the race?
Deena: Before the race, it tends to be the time when you taper and you have extra time on your hands, and you start to doubt your ability to do what you’ve just been working the past four or five months to do. But I always just try to not struggle in the doubt, but just say this is something scary that I’m about to do, but what can I be thinking about right now that will support what I’m about to accomplish? I try to grab three reasons that I should be able to accomplish the goal, or that I am ready or that I am excited. When your mind is on something good like that – something self-supporting, it’s not that it erases the doubt, but the doubt doesn’t have any room to jump into the wheelhouse of your thoughts because you’re too busy ruminating on the good, on all that you’ve worked for. You’re trying to wrap yourself in belief so you can support yourself when you’re doing something extraordinarily difficult.
Dom: What athlete excites you the most in this year’s race?
Deena: The person that does excite me at least in the women’s race is Mary Ngugi-Cooper. I just think that she’s such a great voice for women and her village. She’s so supportive of other women, especially of domestic violence, which is a problem in Kenya. I feel like she’s been trying in Boston, she’s been third, she’s been fourth, and so this might be her year. I just think her story is so captivating that it would be great to elevate her to champion so that her voice is louder in that regard.
