By: Kyle Auger & Ethan Walshe

Sports Editor & Managing Editor

This past Monday, April 16, the first marathon of the summer season took place in our own Boston Massachusetts. Over 27000 runners participated in the 114th Boston Marathon, and among them was a group of approximately 40 competitors from the Greater Lowell Road Runners. The organization offered us an opportunity to join them as they made every step during the day from gathering in the morning to the pre-race gathering to the race itself, the finish line and the post-race reactions as we chronicled the days events. This is A Day at the Marathon.

The GLRR preparing for their big day

The day began bright and early at 6:30 a.m. as the members of the Greater Lowell Road Runners and their volunteers gathered in the parking lot of Crawley Stadium in Lowell. As the more than fifty people began to come together many were in their racing gear: running shorts, shoes and their GLRR t-shirts or tank tops, fully prepared for the day ahead of them, which was set to be one of the hottest marathons in recent history, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees. The heat was to be a real concern this year.

“This is going to be a repeat of 2004, which was a really hot race. It almost killed me to be honest. I was… bad off for about two or three days,” said Westford Academy parent Scott Graham, who had run a previous 25 Boston Marathons.

The group chatted calmly amongst themselves. If any were nervous or frightened about running the 26.2 miles that were just a few hours away from them, it was not apparent to the casual observer.

Within a few minutes as all parties were accounted for, the group shuffled onto a chartered bus with the destination or Hopkinton High School where many other buses shuttling running clubs were parked, less than a mile from the official starting line. After a commemorative group photo, the marathoners were free to get into the “zone” and get into the mental position that they needed to to be able to complete the task that lay but two hours ahead of them.

“I’m excited, I wish we could start now instead of two hours from now. It’s a great event. It’s the  premier marathon event,” said Andre Chandonnet, who was preparing to run his seventeenth consecutive Boston Marathon.

The heat was set to affect many runners. Before the race even began , 4000 competitors deferred, instead choosing to run the marathon next year. Runners needed to alter their game plans in order to do well this year.

“I’m feeling good, [I’m] concerned about the heat, but you just have to readjust your goals. [I wanted to] go sub-three, but now I’m probably looking at under 3:15,” said Westford Academy graduate James Sullivan.

At 9:00 a.m. the runners with mobility impairments such as artificial limbs began their marathon, so as to give them a head start. The enormous crowd of people surrounding the starting line roared and cheered as these first marathoners set their day into motion. Soon after, the handcycle participants began their marathon at 9:17. The next wave of competitors was the push rim handcyclers five minutes following and the elite women at 9:32.

A sea of runners battling the heat

During the interims between waves of racers, various announcers came onto a large stage overlooking the starting line, joined by former marathon winners and women who participated in the first women’s Boston Marathon 40 years ago in 1972. Local news stations were abuzz as well, capturing every moment of runners and crowd alike.

At 10 a.m. sharp, the elite men and the first wave of the Boston Marathon began. This was the first wave to contain runners from the Greater Lowell Road Runners, who could be spotted sporting their green and yellow running jerseys. The last few waves left by 10:40 and all 27000 runners had begun their trek that would take them to the footsteps of the Boston Public Library 26.2 miles away.

This was when the behind the scenes work began. The remaining volunteers for the Greater Lowell Road Runners boarded their bus once again to travel to the Park Plaza hotel, where two rooms had been reserved to accommodate the runners after the race. Two masseuses and plenty of food and drinks were shuffled into the room and set up for when the runners would return between three and four hours later.

A few of the men and women who volunteered were former marathoners who did not compete in this year’s event. One gentleman remarked that he hadn’t run a full marathon in the past ten years, but was anxious to do so again.

The very first competitors to finish did so at about noon, with women’s victor Sharon Cherop posting a time of 2:31:50. None of the Great Lowell Road Runners posted times of below three hours, but many runners began to cross the finish line shortly after 1 p.m., with times around the three and one-half hour mark.

As hundreds upon hundreds of runners poured across the finish line, looking exhausted and extraordinarily hot, they also sported a face displaying a sense of profound accomplishment. The members of the GLRR slowly made their way a to the Park Plaza a few blocks away where a good shower, food, and relaxation awaited them.

“Here’s a life lesson…don’t run marathons! It’s stupid. That was the most painful thing I’ve ever done,” exclaimed David Katz, another Westford parent.

The club’s coordinator Gerrard Ottoviano had just completed his thirtieth consecutive Boston marathon. Unfortunately, he commented that the marathon he had just completed was his longest time to date.

The beaming GLRR finishers

The runners mingled and talked about the feat they had just completed for a number of hours in and around the two hotel rooms at the Park Plaza before it was time to reload the bus and go back to Cawley Stadium.

After over twelve hours, 26.2 miles, and copious amounts of Gatorade, the runners returned to where the day had began: the parking lot of Cawley Stadium where their own cars waited for them so they could finally return home after a long day of work.

]]> http://www.waghostwriter.com/2012/04/25/a-day-at-the-boston-marathon/feed/ 0 http://www.waghostwriter.com/2012/04/13/wa-art-students-say-ciao-to-westford/ http://www.waghostwriter.com/2012/04/13/wa-art-students-say-ciao-to-westford/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:37:05 +0000 Alivia Kilroy http://www.waghostwriter.com/?p=14880 By Alivia Kilroy
Staff Writer

Over April Vacation this year, many students will be leaving the States and flying all over the world for trips. One of these include the Italy art tour, where art students from Westford Academy will be going to Venice, Florence and the Cinque Terre.

The thirteen students going on this trip will be leaving Saturday, April 14th from Boston, flying straight to Milan, where they will then be transferred to Verona. When arriving in Verona they will sightsee at Juliet’s Balcony (Casa di Giulietta) and then have some free time. The rest of the day will be spent at the hotel settling in.

The first full day in Italy for the students will be spent in Venice, which will bring many opportunities for pictures for the ten photography students attending the trip. This includes Doges Palace, Rialto Bridge and St.Mark Cathedral.

“This is what I’m looking forward to the most. It’s so unique with the canals and bridges,” said Lisa Bolotte, an art teacher going on the trip.

The second full day in Italy will be spent on a guided tour of Ravenna while on the way to Florence. This tour includes entry to the museum and Basilica of San Vitale. After this tour they will continue to Florence where they will go directly to the hotel for the night.

The third day in Italy includes a full day in Florence and an optional excursion to Pisa. The students will have a tour of the cathedrals in Florence, and get a demonstration of leather making. After lunch, the students may either go on the tour to Pisa which brings them to the Leaning Tower and around to more great photo ops, or they can stay back in Florence and have a free day. That evening the group can go to a local disco.

The next day will be a transfer to Cinque Terre, which means “five islands.”

“ These islands include picturesque villages perched atop cliffs on the sea; great opportunity for photos,” said Bolotte.

The day spent here is mostly a free for all. They go to many different towns across the islands. After the short day here they will return back to the hotel for the night and get ready to go to the Como region, where they will take a cruise.

Grand Canal in Venice http://www.travelblat.com/

The sixth day in Italy will be spent traveling to Rome by train. Once in Rome the students will go sightseeing in the Vatican City which includes a walking tour of the chapels. They will then go to a guided visit of the Colosseum, and a walking tour of the Pantheon.  They will have free time to shop and some time to see some other major monuments.

The students will then return back to the states for the end of vacation.