A windy and unseasonably warm day marked the 108th annual BostonMarathon yesterday. Of the 20,000 runners who braved the heat in anattempt to complete the 26.2 mile course about 200 were Tuftsstudents, faculty and alumni.
With temperatures resting in the low to mid eighties, most Tuftsrunners and volunteers agreed that the heat was an even moreimposing obstacle than the infamous "Heartbreak Hill."
"It was a brutal day for a race. The heat was awful," Universitypresident Larry Bacow said.
Although Bacow had been scheduled to run with the Tufts teamthis year, he was recently diagnosed with the heart conditionpericarditis and therefore opted to remain at the finish line tosupport the Tufts team.
Brian DeBroff (LA '85 and Med '89) agreed with Bacow'sassessment.
"This was my first marathon ... I really felt the heat, but itwas worth it," he said.
Despite the less than ideal running conditions, DeBroff saidthat the marathon connected the Tufts community tightly, asentiment shared by most people present.
"I chose to run with the Tufts team because it ... was a greatway to rejoin the Tufts family," DeBroff said.
Since graduating Tufts and becoming a professor at Yale, thismarathon was one of the larger Tufts-related events in whichDeBroff has partaken.
Senior Angela Lee, who volunteered to help distribute baggage tothe Tufts team at the finish line, also appreciated the atmospheresuch an event inspired.
"This has been such a great experience," Lee said. "It's nice tosupport the runners and it's been great because I got to see allthe Tufts runners come in. There was a lot of Tufts spirit."
President Bacow noted that Tufts spirit often provides amuch-needed boost for runners entering especially difficultportions of the marathon.
"I spoke to a number of our runners at the finish line today andthey all said that they got a tremendous boost from the many Tuftspeople who lined the course," Bacow said. "I recall last year howour fans helped me get over Heartbreak Hill."
He noted that although Tufts support was certainly a help to therunners, their months of training and running tactics were directlyresponsible for the successful race.
"I was incredibly proud of our team," Bacow said.
He added that "their training really paid off. While everyoneran slower than expected, people ran a smart race. They hydratedbefore the race, drank frequently during it, and did not try to runtoo fast."
For some runners, completing the race was one of the morerewarding experiences of their lives.
"I grew up in this area and used to watch the marathon andthought I could never do it," said sophomore Dave Kramer, whocompleted the entire course. "Completing it means so much to me.And now I'm going to be bed-stricken for at least a few days."
Aside from personal goals, Tufts runners partook in the marathonas part of a fundraising campaign for the school. The Tufts teamreceived pledges totaling over $350,000, which will be used tosupport fitness, nutrition and medical research at Tufts.
Doug Comeau, who is completing his residency for the TuftsUniversity Family Medicine program, volunteered to be a runners'assistant in the finish area. He noted that part of his desire tovolunteer at the marathon stemmed from a desire to help Tufts ingeneral.
"It's so nice to be able to give back to the community likethis," he said.
Already thinking towards the future, Bacow has high hopes fornext year's race.
"I think the marathon has become a great community buildingevent for Tufts, and I look forward to rejoining the team nextyear," he said.
