Bandit Running the Boston Marathon

I am a Bandit Runner. Or at least I was in the past. The three times I ran the Boston Marathon I dove in at the back of the pack at the beginning of the race. I didn't have an official number. I doubt I could have run the qualifying time. There were thousands of us. It was fun. I don't apologize for it.

I ran one official marathon, the Bostonfest in '83. I ran it in 4 hours and 56 seconds. I have an official certificate with the race time, an official teeshirt (the only one I've kept from my running past),& a photo taken of me during the race. I don't remember my times for any of the Boston Marathons.

I went on to Coolrunning.com's community board & asked what the Boston Marathon bandit scene was like these days. I know the bandits are still out there because I see them when I've been a specator at the race the past couple of years. I understand it can be a sensitive topic. The people who can qualify have a dim view of bandit runners. In order to qualify in 1983 I would have to run a marathon in 3 hours & ten minutes. If I ran it today I'd have to be able to run it in 1 hour & thirty minutes. I really don't think so.

However, Bandits are as much part of the scene at Boston as the official entrants. To think otherwise is incorrect & elitist. The reactions I've got so far on Coolrunning have been less than friendly. One guy said " *sigh*, I'll get my popcorn & chair". Another guy left a link for an article basically saying Bandits are theives. Another post called me a thief.

Maybe this isn't representative of the people who post on Coolrunning or maybe I picked a volatile subject.

I don't care.

Coolrunning. Go take a flying fuck at a rolling donut.