Hundreds of people gathered yesterday to participate in what can only be called a widespread feat of endurance. From the midmorning to afternoon, people jogged on to the cheers and encouragement of friends, loved ones and strangers at the 114th annual Boston Marathon.
And for many Bostonians not running 26.2 miles, including thousands of students, Marathon Monday is a day off from school and a cause for celebration.
“It ís an excuse to be drunk in public and you can get away with it,” said Ali Irwin, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.
On Monday, supporters lined the marathon route, with many Boston University students congregating from Beacon Street in South Campus into Kenmore Square to rally the marathoners into the race’s final mile.
Sometimes they give flowers, oranges or water to runners as they go by; often they simply give high fives and cheers.
But another critical aspect of the race is seeing spectators holding a variety of containers, which many students say covertly hold alcohol, disguised so as to get away with drinking in public.
“Everyone had water bottles with alcohol right out on the street,” said College of General Studies freshman Karen Johnson.
“People are very sneaky about it,” Irwin said. “They use water bottles or thermoses or fake reusable Starbucks cups filled with things that look like water or juice.”
“Marathon Monday is bigger than Christmas,” said a BU student who asked to remain anonymous to avoid embarrassment. “My friends and I had a couch and a boom box out there. Everyone we knew was on the street with us, singing and having fun and taking pictures.”
This student said she had been drinking from 9 a.m. onwards, both while watching the marathon and before she went out.
“It ís a day where having rowdy, ridiculous fun in public is not frowned upon,” Irwin said.
“I was up drinking at 7 a.m. and drunk by 8 a.m.,” said a BU student wearing a Marathon Monday shirt with a popular slogan across the back: “You Run. We Drink.” She asked to remain anonymous because she is underage.
Many students said they enjoyed watching the runners.
“No matter how drunk I got, I knew I had to see the front of the runners &- the people who were going to win,” another anonymous student said.
“Everybody loves to get together to be really supportive of the runners,” Irwin said. “They wear names pinned on their clothes, so we call out names and numbers. People are generally really supportive, and I’m always pleasantly surprised.”
Johnson said though she loved cheering on the runners from her spot across from UBurger in Kenmore Square, she was not interested in participating in the alcohol culture.
“Because I’m a runner, I don’t understand drinking to watch other people run,” she said.
At the marathon, a 60-year-old man had a heart attack and was saved by EMTs, spectators and fellow runners. Ernst Van Dyk won the men’s wheelchair race for the ninth year in a row. Robert Cheruiyot, the men’s winner, finished the race in just over two hours &- a new record.
And on the sidelines, BU students yelled, high-fived and applauded these racers on, sober or otherwise.
“Everyone is just out to have a good time and cheer on the runners,” one anonymous drinker said. “It is a holiday invented by Boston kids for Boston kids, so we always go out in style.”
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