See what I saw!

Here's what I saw from the start line... This is the start of the Men's Elite wave. While this is only three minutes of video, the runners keep coming and the crowd doesn't stop cheering!

Family Gives Free Food and Supplies to Runners

I met up with one family giving away free supplies to runners! Seems like the town is pretty receptive to the marathon.

Photos from Hopkinton

The 2009 Boston Marathon began this morning in Hopkinton and I was there to document all the action. Most of these photos were taken about 100 feet from the starting line. While the start of the race was video taped on the local stations, I decided to capture the faces of the crowd as they watched the Women and Men's Elite runners start.

Start!

I'm here at the start of the Boston Marathon and Susanna and I have a post right after the starting line. We've captured the start of the "elite men" - men who have run a marathon in the previous 18 months under 3 hours and 10 minutes. That's about a 7 minute mile. Imagine running over 26 miles at a pace of 7 minutes a mile!

Check out Tom Richie's blog. He demonstrates what the Boston hills feel like while running on a treadmill!

The spirit here is amazing. People from the town, local businesses, and friends and families of the runners have lined the streets to cheer on the runners. Check out some of the pictures I've added.

Most of the pictures were taken about 50 feet from the start line. While you probably got a chance to see the runners start on TV, you probably didn't get to see shots of the crowd. So, please enjoy the shots of the people who came out in support of the runners.

I've got some video as well but because of technical difficulties in the field, I'll be uploading that later today.

Go Boston!

Dana Farber Marathon Challenger Eric Kaye

Running a marathon takes dedication, a mental determination to finish the race.

For some, this dedication comes from running for a cause. Eric Kaye will be running his second Boston Marathon this year and it's all in memory of his dad.

To read more about Eric, visit his site or donate to the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge in memory of Eric's dad.

BAA Runners

Three runners from the Boston Athletic Association shared with me their philosophies on running, what it takes to be a runner and why they do it.

All three are competitive runners, one qualified to try out for the Women's Olympic Team, one is running the Boston Marathon this year and trying to beat his personal best by 10 minutes, and one is not a marathoner but runs in competitive 5 and 10 Ks.