This is a HUGE announcement that I have been sitting on for a couple of weeks. I wanted to tweet it, I wanted to Instagram the heck out of it, I may have secretly informed people over the text machine, but NOW I am letting EVERYONE know: I’m running Boston (kind of) thanks to CLIF Bar & Company.
What’s with the “kind of?”
I absolutely have to thank CLIF Bar for this amazing opportunity. I was invited to be a part of Boston Marathon weekend — to run, to cheer, to be social, to experience EVERYTHING that is magical and inspirational about running’s most prestigious event. It was an open invitation to run the full marathon, or the 5K, or just to show up and be a part of it.
Ridiculous as it may sound (based on my recent track record), I still have hopes of qualifying for Boston one day. Personally, I need the motivation that in order to run it, I HAVE to qualify. It’s my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and I can’t have it until I reach that BQ status. I absolutely wanted to be a part of the weekend, so attending was never really in question. Once I saw that there were no qualifying standards for the 5K and it was an open registration, I knew it would be an honor and a privilege to run the 5K on Boston weekend.
What’s the plan?
We are still finalizing details, but I’ll be staying at the CLIF Bar Base Camp house in Boston and taking part in all the special weekend events and activities with the CLIF Bar team (from athletes to nutrition experts to people like me). I know, right? And most definitely, I’ll be on the sidelines on Marathon Monday live-tweeting the race and cheering on friends.
I know I’m going to walk away from this weekend with so much MORE motivation to come back.
Truly grateful, humbled, and honored.
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When I’m in Boston, what’s the ONE thing I have to do?
(I’ve never been.)
That’s so awesome! What a fun and amazing experience, I really want to head up to Boson and cheer. Hoping to make that happen.
FAN-FREAKING TASTIC my friend!!
HUGE kudos for staying true to the qualifying time! I can sneak in on a disability standard, but it just feels unfair if I know that one day, with a ton of hard work, I can get that qualifying time. I completely identify with you, and love the way you’re making this work without compromising! Also, staying with the Clif Team makes me wildly jealous!
This is so wonderful, Brian!! I’m so excited with you! I would have chosen to run the 5K as well. I’m with you on the whole qualifying front. I want to earn my place, you know?? Clif Bar is such a wonderful company and they couldn’t have chosen a better person to be part of that weekend!! Congrats!!
Yes! Exciting stuff. I’ll be there running the marathon for the first time… It still doesn’t seen real. My first time to Boston as well, so I’m excited to see what people suggest.
I hope I see you on Marathon Monday Brian!! Congrats on the wonderful news!!! :)
So awesome! And that’s pretty darn hardcore to respect the BQ Dream as tempting as this must have been, you’ll earn that bib one day
Sounds amazing! You’re gonna have such a great weekend!
That’s SO awesome – congrats! I respect – and totally get – the decision to wait to run Boston until you qualify. You’ll get it!!
That is still so exciting. And you’ve got time yet to qualify so that we can run together next year! Congrats on starting to fulfill your dream!
That is awesome! Holding on to your BQ morals. I love it. You’re going to have an amazing time and it can only fuel the fire for you to work hard at the personal BQ experience.
AWESOME!!!!!! I am sort of REALLY wishing I was doing Boston now
Such an amazing opportunity!!
loads of pastries in the north end dude
Congratulations, what a great opportunity! Definitely do the Freedom Trail. Such great historical sights to see–USS Constitution and Bunker Hill. And you can’t go wrong with restaurants, especially the North End. Have a great time!
Congratulations! I think it’s wonderful that you have this mindset! You’ll be an EPIC cheerleader!
First of all – congratulations on this exciting opportunity! Secondly, I want to applaud you for sticking to the qualifying time that comes with Boston. I know there are other ways to run (and many raise a LOT of money for some fantastic charities), however Boston has such a prestigious feel in that you have to qualify to run. Good for you on sticking to those standards and using it as fuel for your BQ fire!
I am so impressed that you are waiting to run the marathon until you qualify. I had the exact same feeling and last year qualified which means I am running the race this year with my sister (who also qualified). Boston is such a special race and I think that it means so much more if you have put in all the miles to make the time standard. It will be so exciting for me to toe the line knowing that I earned it with blood sweat and miles! Good for you, and enjoy your time in Boston. It is a fantastic city.
Amazing. Love that you are waiting and inspiring yourself to BQ and dong it this way, I am sure it will be crazy inspiring.
Woo hoo! I kind of admire that you are choosing to wait to qualify for the Boston Marathon to run it (not that I judge other people who run it without qualifying…).
I’ll be there that weekend! I also have no idea what to do because it will be my first time there! Have fun :D
Congrats on the opportunity and huge kudos for waiting to BQ before running the marathon!
YEAH!!! We must meet up on the streets of Boston.. even if it’s for 5 minutes- I would love to see you, and Rob will be there too! I know he’d love to see you too.
That sounds like an amazing opportunity!!!! I think that people on the sidelines are as important as the runners! SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!! :-)
You have to go to Boston’s North End for Italian food and great pastry shops!
The city isn’t ready!!!
Wow HUGE CONGRATS and it is so so so well deserved.
Kick ass
take names
HAVE FUN.
Whoop! Whoop! How awesome it must have been to get that invite!!!
Fun! I’d totally make the same choice though. If I ever run Boston, it will be because I qualified…
Congrats! That is awesome!
I think you totally made the right choice. You are definitely going to qualify for Boston so when you line up at the start line you want to feel like you earned it. If I ever got offered an entry I would say heck yes because I know I won’t be qualifying for Boston until I’m maybe 80 ;)
The 5km should be great and an amazing experience to be a part of Boston in any way.
I feel exactly the same way about running Boston. I will qualify one way or another (even if I’m 65!) Have a blast cheering and enjoying the weekend!
Wow, man congrats!!
The faster 1/2 is running her 3rd Boston. Sadly, the slower 1/2 can’t cheer this year. If you see Leah in her @TwinsRun, say hi! :-)