The Boston Marathon: A Century of Blood, Sweat, and Cheers

by Tom Derderian, Bill Rodgers (Foreword)

The first-ever Boston Athletic Association Marathon took place on a Monday morning, April 19, 1897. The 18 runners in the field had ridden the 9:12 Boston and Albany train from the Kneeland Street Station in Boston along with an entourage of BAA dignitaries, reporters, handlers on bicycles, a company of soldiers from the Second Infantry Regiment, and a first-aid team.Since then, a lot has changed, but the basic elements remain the same . . . The course is 26.2 miles long and begins in Hopkinton and ends in front of the Prudential Center of Boston. Runners from all over the world now come to Boston to run this marathon, which is considered the most prestigious running event in the world today. Some well-known winners include John Kelley, who won twice and continued to compete into his eighties. Following in his footsteps, "young" John Kelley (no relation to the old Kelley) was the first American to win in the post WWII era. "Tarzan" Brown won in 1938 and also took a quick swim in Lake Cochichuate. Bill Rodgers won three in a row, 1978, 1979, and 1980, while Rosa Mota of Portugal was the first woman to win three in a row.

Boston hosts the most prestigious and oldest marathon in the world. Annually 17,000 runners representing every state in the Union as well as 75 countries of the world compete. In The Boston Marathon: A Century of Blood, Sweat, and Cheers, you will experience the race unfolding before you, through the eyes of the runners and the people in the towns and cities along the route.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, History

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a gift I received the week after running Boston. I rated this book a 5 because The Boston Marathon is a 5 star experience. Any book that can conjure up those memories and add history to them, is worthy of a 5.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little coffee table book is full of photos and fun facts about the Boston Marathon. Last updated in 2003, it would be nice to see another update to include the winners from 2003-2016 (including the wheelchair athletes who are not listed among the winners), and the bombings in 2013. I enjoyed reading it before I ran Boston. It would be a fun book to have on the table at a party for spectators of the Boston Marathon.

[Bec · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gave good insight into the history of the Boston marathon and each section of the race. My biggest letdown was the list of winners at the back, which included the men since inception, the women since they started racing, but no list for the men and women wheelchair marathon winners which was pretty average in my opinion (even though they were mentioned throughout the book).

[Elaine]

interesting collection of information