BOSTON — The heat was unprecedented and so was the offer: Any of the 27,000 runners in last year’s Boston Marathon could skip the race and automatically qualify for the 2013 edition instead.
BOSTON — The heat was unprecedented and so was the offer: Any of the 27,000 runners in last year’s Boston Marathon could skip the race and automatically qualify for the 2013 edition instead.
About 2,300 people took race organizers up on the deal. Smart move.
By re-starting their training and postponing their plans for a year, they are expected to be greeted with temperatures in the mid-50s today when the 117th Boston Marathon reaches Copley Square.
Perfect running weather — good news not just for the runners but for organizers coming off a year in which the record-setting heat sent record numbers of runners for medical attention.
Winner Wesley Korir cramped up in the final mile but moved back into first place when those ahead of him faded even faster. His heat-slowed time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, 40 seconds was almost 10 minutes slower than the 2011 winner’s time.