The 2024 Boston Marathon

Silver online presents 

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My Boston Marathon Journey 

By Steve Husko

Boston Marathon bound! I still have a hard time believing it. When Patty and I first started running in 2013 at the age of 60, I would have never imagined that I would ever do a marathon let alone qualify to run the great Boston Marathon. All we did during our first two years of running was 5K’s. In 2015 we ran our first 10K and our first half marathon in 2016.

Then in 2017 with Betty Dietrich’s encouragement, we made the decision to run all the Silver Strider’s races to have the honor of receiving the Sandra Madden award in the Grand Prix Series. To do this we were required to run our first marathon, the Tacoma City Marathon. After completing that marathon, I had no plans of running another. It wasn’t until last year (2023) that I let our youngest daughter Tara, talk me into running my second marathon.

Tara wanted us to run together for her first marathon in the year she turned 40 and I turned 70. We chose to run Revel Mt Charleston in Las Vegas, Nevada. The planets must have been aligned or as luck would have it, I managed to qualify for my first Boston Marathon (2024).

Our Boston Marathon trip was my second and Patty’s first airplane flight. After watching months of the show Air Disasters on TV, we boarded the plane being a little apprehensive but did so regardless. Luckily, the flight was non-eventful, and we arrived safely at JFK Airport in New York.

Since Tara was the catalyst that helped me to qualify for Boston she wanted to join us on our adventure. Tara, her husband and designated driver, Dave, daughter Ellie(10), and son Gavin(5) joined us on our trip.

The grandkids were excited to see some sights and history of the area. On Friday before we went to the Expo we drove to Salem, Massachusetts to check out the Salem Witch Museum. We learned that citizens would claim a neighbor or even their own spouse to be a witch. That sure was an easy way to get rid of an unwanted neighbor or spouse. What do you think? Many completely innocent people were found guilty of being a witch and put to death.

The Expo was very busy with many vendors and speakers. It was well supplied with Boston Marathon running apparel and souvenirs. As we all know when you attend an event like this, you leave with a thinner wallet. With the possibility of never running Boston again I had to partake in the buying frenzy.

Saturday morning was an exciting morning for our family Ellie, our granddaughter was running her first 5K ever. What an amazing accomplishment for a 10-year-old to finish her first 5K running across the Boston Marathon finish line. We are very proud of her with a finishing time of 36:13 and an 11:40 pace. This will be one memorable experience she will never forget. Tara ran close by keeping an eye on Ellie as she ran amid 10,000 runners.

We met Molly Childs and her daughter Dayna at the pre-race gathering area. Patty and Molly walked it together, talking the whole way. I’m not sure who did the most talking though. I also ran the 5k using it as a shake out run for Monday’s marathon. At the start I felt a sense of pride, with three generations of the Husko family running the 5K together. Before our start I observed the elites warming up in the other lane of the street. Watching all that talent in one place was amazing. Ellie was happy with her run and has since signed up for Girls On The Run at her school. She tells me at practice she finishes first most days.

After we finished the 5K the senior citizens took the rest of Saturday off, resting and taking time in the pool as well as the hot tub. The youngsters, Tara and her family spent the evening at the Supercross race taking place at Gillette Stadium where the New England Patriots play. They love anything that has to do with motorcycles Dave races motocross and the whole family has their own dirt bikes. They all jumped at the chance to watch Supercross at a venue they hadn’t been at before.

Sunday, with one day to go was another day of sightseeing. We started the day by traveling to Charlestown Navy Shipyard in Boston. There we boarded the 1812 war ship the USS Constitution known as “Old Ironsides”. It was like stepping back in navel history. The USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned naval war ship that remains in active service. It holds the distinction of being the oldest vessel worldwide that can sail under her own power.

The last tourist attraction we checked out was the Boston Tea Party Museum. We were first led into a room where we were asked if we wanted to have a speaking part of a live reenactment of the town meeting of 12/16/1773. It was a meeting with Samuel Adams and his Sons of Liberty deciding what to do about the British tea coming into port and the tax they were expected to pay. The crowd had phrases that we yelled out together when prompted.

Tara had a couple of lines she said as she took on the identity of one of the American patriots. Gavin our 5-year-old grandson was given the identity of the strongest man in Boston. With the yelling and interaction, we were riled up and ready to dump the 342 chests of black tea into the Boston Harbor. At this time, we were led to a replica of the British ship that contained the tea. Our grand kids were patriots who began throwing replicas of the tea chest into the water. On the ship they referred to the strongest man in Boston many times. It was a fun time for all.

On Patriots Day, Monday, April 15,2024, the Boston Marathon morning started at 5:00 AM for me with ringing in my ears. After having a restless night sleep, I was excited to get my day started. As I dressed, I managed to get down a slice of bread with peanut butter and a banana. I also drank some coffee and water. Finally, when everyone else was ready to go, we drove into Boston.

After finding a parking garage we walked the short distance to the bus loading zone area. The bus loading time for my wave 3 was at 8:15AM. As usual I arrived way too early. We stood there talking and listening to all the excited marathoners.

The volunteers were not letting anyone into the bus loading or porta-potty areas unless it was their wave time. Spectators were not allowed to pass the check point, with no porta-potties available on their side. They had to walk about a quarter mile to a Starbucks. Once they were in line it took over an hour to get into the one bathroom in the establishment.

With the sound of chatter our bus was loaded and headed down the road on our 40-minute ride to the Athletes Village at Hopkinton High School. This bus trip seemed to be filled with so much anticipation and excitement it was impossible to not feel it.

Once at the Athletes Village I noticed that many runners were prepared for standing in mud. Some had extra shoes draped over their shoulders while others had plastic bags on their feet. In previous years, the area where we stood would be nothing but mud. Thank goodness there was no rain only clear skies and temperatures in the 70’s for the 128th Boston Marathon!!

Standing and waiting for my wave to start walking forward, I thought about how organized an organization must be to put on a race of this magnitude with over 20,000 runners and 9,500 volunteers. After we finally started to inch forward, I realized that I was still a distance from the actual start line.

Finally, I crossed the start line, I couldn’t believe it, I was actually running the Boston Marathon! I have to say it was slower than I anticipated but the crowd was so thick in front of me it was impossible to outright run it fast. Being as it was four miles downhill, I hoped that I could break out of the crowd sooner. But I also knew the slower pace now, would help me when I maneuvered the Newton Hills

I settled into an easy pace while listening to the cheers from the incredible crowds of spectators lining the streets. Slapping many hands extended with encouragement, I felt relaxed. At each intersection more crowds seemed to be gathering. I was not positive when I stepped onto the bus where I would see my family again. I knew they were taking the commuter rail to a viewing point along the course, but I was clueless as to their exact whereabouts

Just prior to the halfway point the roar of the spectators appeared to be getting louder. It sounded more like a high-pitched scream. I then realized I was in the Scream Tunnel at Wellesley College. The sound was incredible. Girls screaming at the top of their lungs, holding signs that read Kiss Me I’m Single. I stayed focused on my marathon. Besides whom am I kidding? The girls had no interest in kissing an old duffer like me.

Settling back into an easy pace at mile 14.5, I thought I could hear my name being yelled. I looked to my left and to my delight I saw my family cheering me on. It was very apparent by their screaming and smiles they were proud of me. I quickly ran over to them without stopping, giving all hi-fives.

Soon after starting up the Newton Hill about mile 18 my pace slowed down. Then to my surprise I ran up behind a Silver Strider friend, Mickey Allen. We gave each other a hi-five and continued on. Since the marathon I learned that he was not feeling well and had a rough race day.

I felt happy as I crested Heartbreak Hill at about mile 21 and saw the famous banner reading, Congrats on Summiting Heartbreak Hill! Newton’s Heart is With You! Reading it gave me renewed energy. Looking far out into the distance as I descended the hill I caught a glimpse of the Citgo sign at Fenway Park. It looked so close but yet so far. Passing Boston College, the crowds of spectators were getting larger and extremely loud.

Multiple trolley tracks between miles 22 and 23 had me taking extra care to maneuver. The tracks crossed each other at different angles. I didn’t want to have a mishap and fall when I only had a 5K left to finish. Just before mile 25 I ran beside the 60’x60′ Citgo sign. I knew I only had a little over a mile to go.

Turning right on Hereford Street, exhaustion took over my whole being, and I allowed myself to walk. Then turning left onto Boylston Street I ran with everything I had left, crossing the finish line. Stopping just past the finish line I leaned onto a barrier to recover. A volunteer from the medical tent came over to offer assistance. I told the volunteer I was fine, I just needed to catch my breath. Evidently, I took too long to recover because they checked on me again. This time they brought a wheelchair over. They wheeled me to the medical tent to be observed. I’m guessing there were at least 30 medical personnel in this huge white tent. They were constantly bringing runners in. They checked on me a couple of times and sent me on my way. After receiving my medal I walked to our planned meeting spot where my family was all hyped up and was given hugs all around. I found out later my family had watched me finish in the five deep crowd near the finish line.

We flew out of JFK on Tuesday. The six-hour flight back home gave me time to relax and reflect on my Boston experience. It definitely was a week that buzzed by quickly. All in all, the experience was amazing. Although it took a lot of training and planning to pull it off, it was an honor to run in the footsteps of so many great athletes including our dear friend, Dave Sherman.

I would like to thank my family, and friends for all their encouragement and support. I found it amazing how many friends and family tracked my progress on race day. I am a very lucky man to have so many people who care. It truly will be an experience I will never forget.

Boston Marathon interesting history:

4/19/1897 – 1st Boston Marathon
Only 245 miles
Winner: John J McDermott 2:55:10
15 total marathoners

4/19/1924 – All marathons standardized at 26.2 miles

4/19/1966 – 1st woman unofficially ran marathon without a number bib
Roberta Gibb 3:21:40

4/19/1967 – 1st woman to run with a number bib (261) signed up using only initials
K.V. Switzer 4:20:00

4/17/1972 – Women were allowed to officially run Boston
1st female: Nina Kuscsik 3:10:26
8 female marathoners

4/21/1975 – Officially recognized wheelchair participants
Bob Hall 2:42:24

4/20/20 – Due to Covid 19 Pandemic, the Boston Marathon converted into a Virtual Experience
16,183 finishers from the 50 states and 90 countries

`10/11/2021 – 1st in-person Boston Marathon not in April

4/15/2024 – my 128th Boston Marathon
Number of runners from United States Entered: 20,051
Started: 18,199
Finished: 17,412

Qualifiers who were 6 minutes and 29 seconds or faster than their age group and gender were accepted into Boston