By: Ellie Wardell
I want to kick off my Blog posting saga of the 2026 race year with a recollection of my Boston experience.
After finishing the race and sitting in the memory of what once was, I wish I could bottle the feelings, emotions and visual/auditory experience of a Boston Marathon weekend. Like any recollection and story telling, you start with the beginning.
I flew into Boston on a red eye from Seattle, my new home, landing at 6:30 am in MA. After some caffeine and a brisk walk toting my carry-on and backpack, I arrived at the Expo on Boylston Street. The expo was where bib pick up and merchandise was sold. Doors promptly open at 10 am, but the line was already out the door – just like any Santa House on Christmas Eve. Walking to pick up the bib was an experience in itself: the anticipation of seeing your assigned number being tangible in your hands, confirming this is no longer a life long dream but a reality. After packet pickup you are guided to the expo area where Boston merch was being sold, along with other vendors. DO NOT SKIMP OUT ON MERCH; buy all that you can. I do recommend trying on items prior to buying due to sizes running smaller. The rest of my Friday involved reuniting with my two friends who were my support crew for the weekend, touring downtown Boston and checking into our Air BNB in Brighton, MA (a 20 min train ride from downtown). Staying outside of downtown proper allowed for cheaper lodging and increased opportunity to sight-see. Dinner was provided by Brighton Bodega, which I highly recommend for their tapas selection.
We slept in on Saturday morning since we were all ragged by travel. We made a game plan for the day based on all having a must-do list of items we would like to see when being in Boston. We checked out: Public Gardens, the Public Library, the Boston commons (America’s first park), Quincy Market, Sam Adams Brewery, Saltie Girl (home of Boston’s best lobster roll) and Boston Harbor. We used public transit, buying a Charlie Card for unlimited uses for travel via bus and train. We had ice cream for dinner and ended the evening with a movie night.
On race eve, we grocery shopped for pre-race dinner. Dinner was an old classic: spaghetti, bread and salad. We checked out Cambridge, Harvard and ate bagels from Pop Up Bagel, which was where I had the best bagel of my life. Truly recommend checking out the Natural History Museum of Harvard. We hosted local friends for the evening and created posters for tomorrow. I ended my night with packing and laying out race outfits, ensuring I had all that I needed and everything was accounted for.
RACE DAY! The wake up alarm went off at 5 am to be out the door by 6 am for the train into the city. I toasted my bagel, made a water bottle with caffeinated liquid IV and got myself ready to run the race of a lifetime. Shoes donned, hair slicked back and layers zipped up I walked myself to the train stop where I was met with other fellow Boston runners. We got off at Arlington street and made our way to go-bag drop off and bus loading. The volunteers were very helpful and directions were clearly marked and easy to follow. Bus loading for the Blue group started promptly at 7:30 am. I recommend using the porta-potties as much as you can prior to the hour bus ride to Athletes Village. This was where I made fast friends with two girls who were also running their first Boston Marathon. We rode together, which made the bus ride so much more enjoyable. Once we arrived at Athletes Village: more water was consumed, layers were ditched into the donation piles and the endless trips to the bathrooms were made to feel fully prepared and ready to run. Red, white and blue groups were called which was our cue to start walking to the start line. Once 10:37 am hit, that was when I crossed the start line and made my journey with thousands to Boston. A continuous stampede and consistent roar of crowds made the race overwhelming in a good way. Never have I ever felt so supported during a race before, even amongst total strangers. It was a surreal experience that still feels like a dream. Once hitting mile 20, I felt like I was floating to the finish running on energy from crowds. On the straight away I
had to fight back tears of joy and exhaustion. Through the finish chute I go, a medal placed around my neck and the post-race endorphin rush at its peak. I shuffled to get my go-bag and ventured to my meeting spot for my friends to reunite with me, which was established prior to race day. We capped off the marathon experience attending the Mile-27 party, where Sam Adams was crushed and chased back with the best gyro of my life. Our flights all took off at 6 pm Monday eve, so we walked to pick up our luggage and made our way to the airport. I had a 6 hour flight home to Seattle, where I was able to snooze and relive the marathon on repeat.
Boston Marathon, thank you for hosting me and showing true colors of humanity: goodness towards others and being part of something that is bigger than yourself. I will plan on continuing to run this course, with expectations of being fully surprised and blown away each year. For those who are flirting with the idea of going for a BQ: DO IT! It is truly amazing and you will not regret it.
Athletic Mentors