I personally have never been to Boston and will be going to spectate a runner in wave 1 / corral 1 with a 2:40-ish anticipated finish time. I’ve done some Googling and I am getting the impression that public transit in the area isn’t rapid transit… we are staying near the finish. Normally when I spectate at his races, I either ride my own bike or rent one and see him at multiple points but something tells me this may not be feasible for Boston. What would be my best spectating option? I am leaning toward just chilling somewhere relatively close to the finish area with a nearby bar 
Is that a cop-out? Should I try to see him more that once?
Running past Wellesley College was memorable… and it looked like the spectators there were having fun as well. Depending on your motivations, and how serious your runner is, you might not want to distract him there, though.
Using the green line, you might be able to see him in the Newton hills and then make it to Boylston St. in time for the finish. I don’t know how crowded it will be–last year was nuts, but that was a special case.
I live on the route (just off actually) and have spectated several different ways and at several different points. Honestly, the easiest thing is probably to stay close to the finish, find a nice bar (there will be plenty open downtown) and wait there. If you start messing with the T, you’ll probably have a battle as the Red Sox play at 11 that day which may add to the crowds. Biking would be challenging as there’s no easy way to get from point to point that would be worth biking out to, unless you’re on the actual course. Drink up at a bar and don’t feel bad about it!
You can absolutely parallel the Boston course from about mile 17.5 to the finish. It isn’t incredibly easy, but with preparation and gps it shouldn’t be that hard. Once the course turns on to Comm Ave there is a carriage road alongside the course. You will need to ride in control and cautiously as there are a lot of pedestrians using the carriage road, but you can go faster than a 2:40 runner. Once the course turns off Comm Ave, you will have to work a little harder to keep up. I would recommend not using the ride-share Hubway bikes. I love them for commuting, but I’m not trying to keep up with a 2:40 marathoner by chasing on side roads.
Uber is really cheap and fast in Boston. Was there last weekend and took several ~5 mile rides that weren’t much more than $10. Can’t give you much insight into blocked roads/traffic however as I’m not familiar with the course.
Biking along the course would be faster than trying to ride the subway. Riding the subway would be much faster than trying to drive. In reference to other suggestions in this thread, getting beer service in a bar near the finish would be by far the fastest and easiest option.
Parking myself at a bar is starting to sound like my best option I hope he understands!
Uber is really cheap and fast in Boston. Was there last weekend and took several ~5 mile rides that weren’t much more than $10. Can’t give you much insight into blocked roads/traffic however as I’m not familiar with the course.
Marathon Monday will have surge pricing up the wazoo, 2.5x at least, if not much more. Still might be the best option, but that $10 ride will be $25.
Also not recommend, but pretty amusing, how dcrainmaker spectated 2014’s edition: http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/04/spectating-boston-marathon.html
I’m pretty sure that’s the only time a hubway bike has been on some of those roads. But yes, I recommend renting or bringing a road bike!
Thanks for posting DCRainmakers’ blog post! We have Divvy bikes here in Chicago - - essentiallly the same thing except they are powder blue and it is pancake flat here - - but I am familiar with how they “handle.” Perhaps if I get to heartbreak hill I can follow my guy and see him two or three times. I may take one for a test ride the day before and do a dress rehearsal…
I figure the crowds near the finish will preclude me from getting a glimpse even if I just hang there from the get go, which would be very disappointing…is that true? With Chicago not allowing spectators near the finish anyways I got used to the idea of not seeing him finish…
Yeah, it is unbelievably crowded all the way down Boylston Street to the finish. The last easy place to see your friend is around mile 24ish.
From Heartbreak (20.5 miles) to mile 22 you can easily bike alongside the course. From there on in, it is tougher.
I’ve run Boston the past few years (and will again this year) with finishing times not too far from your friend’s. Each year my wife has traveled with me and we stay downtown near Boston Common. She’s done the same thing each year and it’s worked out awesome… she takes the Green line out to Woodland in time to see the Elites run by (at ~ mile 17 or so) and then hangs there until I run on through. She then hops back on the T and takes it in to Kenmore or thereabouts… just in time to see me within a mile or two from the finish. She then meets me in the Family meeting area… then helps me peel my weary self off the pavement and head back to the hotel!
She’s done it every year and absolutely has a great time.
Thanks for posting DCRainmakers’ blog post! We have Divvy bikes here in Chicago - - essentiallly the same thing except they are powder blue and it is pancake flat here - - but I am familiar with how they “handle.” Perhaps if I get to heartbreak hill I can follow my guy and see him two or three times. I may take one for a test ride the day before and do a dress rehearsal…
I figure the crowds near the finish will preclude me from getting a glimpse even if I just hang there from the get go, which would be very disappointing…is that true? With Chicago not allowing spectators near the finish anyways I got used to the idea of not seeing him finish…
Getting to heart break on the city bikes is actually fairly easy, because there’s a road that runs within about 30-meters of the route on that section, and is open to bikes that day. It’s every point between mile 0 and heart break that I strongly recommend not trying to follow the course with such a beast of a bike on…
I would go with Reservoir Cat’s plan if I were you, but I was able to see my buddy 3 times by bike. Once was around mile 11 in Natick, then again at mile 16 in Wellesley and then again at mile 21 but also had no intention of meeting him at the finish. Rode back down to mile 18 or so and waited with some friends for a friend who was in the back of the pack. It is pretty ambitious to take on especially if you don’t know the roads. I was somewhat familiar with most of them and had to really push it between stops. He was also running around 3:30 so I had a bit more time to play with than if he was running 2:40. Hope its a nice day again this year.