Can some of you Boston vets tell me how the corrals work? I get the general idea, 1,000 line up and go a minute apart. I am hoping to run a pace that would put me 2 or 3 corrals up, of course it is not an option to move up corrals so trying to figure out how to work it.
I’m guessing it would be best to just get to the front of my corral to avoid as much congestion as possible and then just do my thing. Is it difficult to get to the front of a corral, meaning is everyone going to be trying to get to the front? Is there major congestion at the start of the race? How long does it take to thin out some? I’d rather just run a bit slower to start, letting it thin out, than zig zag and look like an ass if it thins pretty quickly.
No, the corrals don’t go a minute apart. Basically the corrals are each full and follow immediately behind the other, so it is actually a continuous pack. The front of one corral is right behind the back of the next higher corral. When the gun sounds everybody starts, though very slowly/walking at first. Your time doesn’t start until you cross the mat at the start line, and by that time you’re running.
Unless you are in the last corral, it won’t thin out. The 1000+ people in front of me and the 1000+ people behind me are all expected to finish within a few minutes of me and run BQ pace. This isn’t your normal open marathon.
major congestion at start, but just ease in. you need to take it easy the first 10 or so miles anyway or you’ll be toast later on. i don’t know what wave/corral you are in, but lately i’ve had an easy start in the back corral of the first wave, and the beginning of the second wave. don’t zig zag, that’s a major waste of energy and boston is all about patience. no matter where you start you’ll have a great time. i carry a small water bottle for the first hour and run in the middle of the road to let everyone else fight it out at the water stops. after the first hour, it’s no problem getting fluids when you need them. have fun! see you there:)
major congestion at start, but just ease in. you need to take it easy the first 10 or so miles anyway or you’ll be toast later on. i don’t know what wave/corral you are in, but lately i’ve had an easy start in the back corral of the first wave, and the beginning of the second wave. don’t zig zag, that’s a major waste of energy and boston is all about patience. no matter where you start you’ll have a great time. i carry a small water bottle for the first hour and run in the middle of the road to let everyone else fight it out at the water stops. after the first hour, it’s no problem getting fluids when you need them. have fun! see you there:)
I’m 1/5, qualified with a 3:03. It was my first marathon and I didn’t really train properly, went in nursing an injury, and was just hoping to qualify (I got lucky to qualify and was also injured for 6 weeks after because of lack of preparation). I trained a lot better this time, am feeling good, and am in better shape so I think I can shave off a bit of time. Don’t want to waste energy zig zagging, but I am a heavier guy 190ish and run downhill a lot better than up, so I want to establish a good pace early (not looking to blow up the last few miles though so maybe it is a blessing in disguise). Oh well, this is more about “enjoying” the experience of Boston, so I’ll line up in my corral, and roll with the punches. See you there!
I never felt super congested. Start up towards the front of your corral, there is plenty of time to get there. There will always be people around you but I never felt elbow to elbow running Boston like I did running Chicago so you will have room to move and settle into your pace.
Agree with some of the general consensus. I was actually in wave 1 corral 5 during my first Boston as well and things didn’t really open up until mile 18. That being said, the only truly crowded part of the race is about the first mile when everyone starts jostling for space and some unwise folks decide to sprint down the downhill. Just keep things in control and you should be fine.
Also, the fact that this race is crowded with some of the fastest marathoners in the country only adds to the atmosphere that’ll be around you. Get pumped.
Yes, the corrals are one of the things that make Boston so special. Right from the beginning you are running with people who qualified with the same time and run the same pace. Even two or three corrals away, the difference in qualifying time is only a few minutes. So even though it’s crowded, it flows well and doesn’t seem really congested.
My advice is don’t worry about dodging around people, just go with the flow for while and enjoy the experience. When it spreads out later on, you can pick up the pace if you are up to it.
i carry a small water bottle for the first hour and run in the middle of the road to let everyone else fight it out at the water stops.
This was awesome advice! I didn’t hit a water stop till mile 6 and only because I wanted some plain water rather than the Infinit I had in bottle. Finally ditched the bottle at mile 7, things were definitely getting better by that point, but was really pretty congested till mile 10.
As far as weaving, I pretty much had to. The first mile was my second slowest of the race, mile 21 with heartbreak hill being the only one slower. The first 3 miles were very congested, I felt pinned in a good portion of the time, but it all worked out and who knows…maybe it was a blessing in disguise since I pretty much felt good till the very end.
Hope everyone else there had a great race and stayed safe when the badness went down.
Did seem a lot slower in the first three miles. Maybe everyone is getting smarter on how to handle Boston, but I did end up about :45 seconds behind where I expected to be at the first 5k check. No problems with the water stops though.