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| Boston 2012 Finisher Medal |
Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ:
"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed."
Some interesting facts about the Boston Marathon in this morning's Boston Globe
Number of runners: 35,384
Number of Women: 15,964
Number of Men: 19,420
Number of Men: 19,420
Most common names, Michael for men, Jennifer for women
Race Distance: 26.2 miles
Course
Starts in Hopkinton
Goes through small New England towns including: Ashland, Framingham, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline
Finish: Bolyston Street, Copley Plaza, Boston
Course Elevation: Start 475 feet, finish 16 feet, mostly downhill first 10 miles, then rolling hills with Heartbreak hill at about mile 23. This year we take back the finish line! We are all Boston Strong!
Spectators: 1 million
That is a lot of awareness for Team CMT. I never ran big races until I started Team CMT. Now the bigger the crowd the better, because many more people will learn about CMT.
It is not just numbers when it comes to the Boston Marathon. Boston fans are the best! They cheer for me like I am an elite athlete, even though I am in one of the last waves. They make me feel like a rock star! I'm back this year to support them!
Hometowns
Runners come from all around the World: 17.7% of the runners are from outside the U.S. with 80 countries represented.
U.S.- every state will be represented with the highest number from Massachusetts with 7,888 and in 2nd place California at 2,612.
Age
Average age: 45, with 1,322 runners
Youngest:18
Oldest: 83
Start Times
Wheelchair:9:17
Elite Women:9:32
Elite Men: 10:00
My Wave (Wave 3): 11:00
The lead men will be finishing almost before I get my chance to start in Hopkinton. It will be about 5 hours before I cross the finish line on Bolyston street.
This race cannot really be measured just by the numbers. Along the way I will give countless high fives, run through the scream tunnel at Wellesley, be cheered on by the students of Boston College, get a few hugs and shed a few tears along the way. This is very likely going to be my last marathon....well at least for awhile. So it will be a bittersweet day for me. A day that is going to have a place in my heart for lots or reasons that can't be measured by numbers.
**********************************
Race Distance: 26.2 miles
Course
Starts in Hopkinton
Goes through small New England towns including: Ashland, Framingham, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline
Finish: Bolyston Street, Copley Plaza, Boston
Course Elevation: Start 475 feet, finish 16 feet, mostly downhill first 10 miles, then rolling hills with Heartbreak hill at about mile 23. This year we take back the finish line! We are all Boston Strong!
Spectators: 1 million
That is a lot of awareness for Team CMT. I never ran big races until I started Team CMT. Now the bigger the crowd the better, because many more people will learn about CMT.
It is not just numbers when it comes to the Boston Marathon. Boston fans are the best! They cheer for me like I am an elite athlete, even though I am in one of the last waves. They make me feel like a rock star! I'm back this year to support them!
Hometowns
Runners come from all around the World: 17.7% of the runners are from outside the U.S. with 80 countries represented.
U.S.- every state will be represented with the highest number from Massachusetts with 7,888 and in 2nd place California at 2,612.
Age
Average age: 45, with 1,322 runners
Youngest:18
Oldest: 83
Start Times
Wheelchair:9:17
Elite Women:9:32
Elite Men: 10:00
My Wave (Wave 3): 11:00
The lead men will be finishing almost before I get my chance to start in Hopkinton. It will be about 5 hours before I cross the finish line on Bolyston street.
This race cannot really be measured just by the numbers. Along the way I will give countless high fives, run through the scream tunnel at Wellesley, be cheered on by the students of Boston College, get a few hugs and shed a few tears along the way. This is very likely going to be my last marathon....well at least for awhile. So it will be a bittersweet day for me. A day that is going to have a place in my heart for lots or reasons that can't be measured by numbers.
**********************************
Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com
Chris is a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a two time participant of the Boston Marathon. She was the 2012 National Champion Paratriathlon Open Division. In 2013 she qualified as a member of the Team USA Duathlon Team. She will compete in 2014 at the Age Group World Duathlon Sprint Championship in Pontevedre Spain .
She is the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a CMT affected athlete.
Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have 149 members in 27 states. We also have members in Australia , Canada , Vietnam , Turkey , Finland and Iran . If you wish to join us visit our web site; www.run4cmt.com or www.hnf-cure.org
CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS). It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.
Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.
Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.
Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.
Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.
Additional Link
Keywords: Running, Running and CMT, triathlon, triathlon and CMT, athlete and CMT, cycling and CMT, paratriathlon, challenged athlete, Team CMT, Running for My Life-Winning for CMT. Hereditary Neuropathy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth.
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