Norwich students participate
in annual Boston Marathon

By Michael McIntyre
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Five Norwich University students participated in the 105th running of the Boston Marathon on April 16th. The annual twenty-six and a half mile run, which spans from Hopkinton, MA, to Copley Square in Boston, had 15,606 runners and 47 wheelchair racers this year.

At least half a million spectators were in attendance to witness who would walk away with the fastest time and the $80,000 prize money.

Among the Norwich students who endured the challenge were one student who had run for the third time, and four newcomers to the event.

Brad West, 22, a senior criminal justice major from Brockton, MA participated in the marathon for the third time since 1999. West, who is seeking a career in the military upon graduation in May, has always kept himself in good physical condition. But actually training for the marathon is something he has never done. West's first marathon experience came in a rather unusual way.

"When I was a sophomore I was running a lot. I just basically bet somebody that I could run the marathon, and I have been doing it ever since," West said.

West stated that his pre-marathon training has never been anything too different from his normal everyday activity.

"It is kind of hard to prepare up here with the snow. You cannot really run a lot of miles on a treadmill," West said.

This year, West managed to inspire fellow classmates to also participate in the event. Joseph Hallett, Michael Cormier, Brian Bill, and John Heaton joined West in running the marathon.

"I was never really interested in it until this year," said Hallett, 20, a sophomore criminal justice major from Nantucket, MA. Hallett, who normally runs between three and four times a week, felt he was physically ready to undergo the challenge. But Hallett claimed nothing could have prepared him for the actual race.

"The crowd was unreal. Especially when I was running, and at every new mile there was a mass of people ahead. It just felt like a never-ending battle," Hallett said.

Cormier, 22, a peace war and diplomacy major from Atlantic City, NJ, had a little more time to ready himself for the event. He decided during Christmas break to run the event and trained for close to two months.

Cormier received training tips from various runners' magazines, as well as from people he knows who in the past have run long distances similar to the marathon.

"I started off running four miles a day, then went up to five and so on. I got up to eight miles a day about two weeks before, and then a week before the marathon I cut it down to two long runs and a couple of short sprints. Then I took the two days before the marathon off," Cormier said.

Cormier, who is also seeking a career in the military, believes running the marathon will prove to be a valuable experience in the future.

"The reason I wanted to do it was because October 1st I go to ranger school, and I figured if you can run a marathon you can do just about anything physical. Plus I just wanted to prove to myself that I could run that far," Cormier said.

Bill, 21, a senior electrical engineering major from Stamford, CT, also believes the marathon will help in the future. Bill plans to eventually join the Navy Seals program.

"It is a no-quit type of business that I am getting into. The marathon helped bring me to that level where I wanted to quit but did not, and instead just kept going. That is definitely good for me," Bill said.

Bill only decided to run the race five days prior, and did not do much at all to train.

"I usually run ten miles a week, but nothing significant to train for a marathon at all," Bill said.

Bill stated that the best advise he can offer anybody who is considering running the race is to "decide early and train for it."

Heaton decided to run the marathon three weeks before, and did not change his training schedule at all. He disagrees with his fellow runners about how the experience will affect his future.

"I do not think it will have any effect at all on my career in the military," Heaton said.

Each runner took his own personal experience from the race.

"The last four miles were the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life," Heaton said.

Considering the lack of experience they had, the Norwich runners had minimal difficulty completing the race. But each runner has what they feel was the low point of the day.

"Mile twenty was the worst part of the run. After mile twenty my calves were cramping really bad," Hallett said.

But with the bad comes the good, and Hallett claims that no part of the race compared to the end.

"The best part of the race was finishing it. It felt good, but it was really painful," Hallett said.

According to Bill, the start of the race was one of the high points of the event.

"The beginning of the race was really crowded. Having never been before, I did not really know what to expect. The best part of the race was the start, because it was downhill," Bill said.

Motivation played a large role in the race, as well, and each runner found personal motivation in some form. Bill stated that one of the best parts of the race was running past Wellesley College, an all-girls school, where girls were lined on both sides of the street cheering the runners on.

The crowd along the streets, and especially at the end of the route, played a big motivating role for Heaton also.

"Every foot of the way, there were people on both sides of the road cheering us on," Heaton said.

According to Heaton, mental endurance was not a problem, and he never thought of stopping.

"The last half mile I sprinted. I saw the finish line, and it was downhill with tons of people watching all the runners. That was unbelievable," Heaton said.

Hallett also said that running with friends was good motivation, and that there was no point in the run in which he felt he needed to stop.

Although mental endurance is an important aspect, physical fitness also plays a role in running a marathon. Fortunately for them, the students who participated are used to keeping themselves in good physical condition. According to West, anyone who runs in Vermont, with all the hills, can run the marathon. Bill felt he was in good condition during the run, stating that although his legs were in pain, he had no trouble breathing at all during the race.

Cormier said that the weather was a positive factor during the race, especially for preparing before the start of the event.

"I just stretched out and went. It was a nice warm day so there was not much you had to do. The run was a lot of fun. Around mile eighteen I stopped to stretch and then kept going," Cormier said.

Each of the Norwich runners finished the race in less than four hours, and said that they would run a marathon again in the future.

West, the most experienced of the Norwich runners, finished this year's race with his best time.

"None of these times are official, because I have never had a number. Just going by my watch, I think I got 4:05 my sophomore year. My junior year I got 4:15-4:20, and this year I got 3:58, so this was my best year," West said.

Not every participant in the marathon receives a number. Anybody can run, but in order to receive one, you have to have run at least one marathon prior, and you are required to finish in at least three and a half hours.

West has experienced only minor injuries during his three years of running the marathon.

"I have had toenails come off. Other than that, just blisters, nothing major," West said.

According to West, the real pain does not come during the actual run, but rather the next day.

"You are a little sore that night going to bed. Then the next morning you cannot get up, because your muscles have rested, and they are not going to stop resting for awhile, so you try to walk around, but your legs will not do it. But other than that I have not really injured myself too badly," West said.

According to West, a major part of getting through the marathon is ignoring the physical pain and telling yourself you can do it.

"I would definitely say that running a marathon requires minimal athletic ability combined with a good work ethic and a mental toughness," West said.

Bill agrees that the right mental attitude is what allowed him to get through his first marathon.

"I had to walk at some points to stretch because of the pain in my legs. But if I had not really wanted to complete it, I would not have," Bill said.

West offered some advice to anyone who may be considering running the Boston marathon.

"Unless you are in horrible shape, anybody can do this race. People walk it or get through it any way they can. There is no reason why anybody should be discouraged from trying it. It is a great experience," West said.

Korea's Lee Bong-ju won this year's marathon, which began officially at 11:40 a.m. the day after Easter.

Bong-ju, a former silver medallist in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, finished with a time of two hours, nine minutes, and forty-three seconds.

According to the Boston Herald, the 30 year-old resident of Seoul, Korea, dedicated the victory to the memory of his father, who died last month at the age of 74.

Bong-ju's win marked the first in the Boston marathon by a Korean runner since 1950.

Back to Guidon index