Happy Tuesday! Today I’m deviating from this week’s topic which is “What are your tips for surviving your first {pick a distance}”. I’ll probably do a post on this topic eventually, but today I’m sharing my race recap for Boston’s Run to Remember Half Marathon.
On Sunday I completed my 40th half marathon and state #13. Yes, I know I wrote that the Delaware Running Festival Half Marathon in April was my 40th, but I miscounted – blame it on runners math, LOL. After speaking with Michelle last year, I decided to sign up for this race. There aren’t many half marathons that take place in the city of Boston and she highly recommended this race as she had done it for the past few years. I’ve always wanted to run in Boston, and Massachusetts would be a new state for me, so I was sold!
Friday, May 24
I took off Friday from work to extend my long weekend. Our Amtrak train left on Friday morning a little after 9am and we were in Boston by 1pm. It was a nice and uneventful train ride, just how I like it. We grabbed some lunch and then headed over to the hotel. Our hotel, the Seaport Boston Hotel, was located right across the street from the expo and the race start – it doesn’t get much better than that!
We only spent about 30 minutes at the expo. It was small but well organized. We waited in a short line to get our bibs and then went to a separate line to get our race shirt and Challenge Coin. This yearβs Challenge Coin options included Boston Police, Boston Fire, State Police, MA Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation or an EMT coin. These coins are unique because they fit in the middle of the race medals. I selected the Boston Fire Challenge Coin. While at the expo we visited a few vendors. My mom and I purchased this ‘World’s Okayest Runner’ from the York Sign Shop vendor. We laughed so hard when we saw it so we knew we had to purchase it!
Here are some additional photos from the Expo:
Saturday, May 25
We met up with Michelle for brunch at Gather and it was pretty good! Michelle and I got blueberry pancakes to carb up for the race the next day. After we said goodbye to Michelle, we did more walking around the Seaport area and the Financial District. It was nice, but I would like to explore some other areas of Boston the next time I visit.
Sunday, May 26
Race Day! The race started bright and early at 7am. As I mentioned earlier, our hotel was directly across the street from the start line so we didn’t leave the hotel until 6:30am. We met Michelle in the lobby of the expo so that we could pick up our tribute bibs (the race offered 7 different tribute bibs). These bibs paid tribute to fallen first responders and could be worn on the back of our shirts during the run. Michelle, my mom and I selected Trooper First Class Walter Greene from the Connecticut State Police. Walter was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and served with the CPD for 28 years. He passed away from cancer as a result of his response and service in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Friday will mark the one year anniversary of his death. It was a honor to run with his tribute bib.
I grabbed a quick photo with Michelle and then we all headed out to the race start!

Loved catching up with Michelle this weekend!
Thankfully the weather was perfect when we started! Low 60s and the rain had stopped a few minutes prior to the start. We also didn’t have high humidity – yay! While it did get a lot warmer for the second half of the race, I was so thankful that the first half was quite pleasant!
The race offered a nice tour of downtown Boston, including the State House, Government Center, Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, The Public Garden, the Old State House, and Post Office Square. We also ran through Back Bay, which offered a backdrop of the Boston skyline. For someone that hasn’t been to Boston is almost 20 years, it was quite a beautiful course! You can click here to view a video of the course.
Miles 1-3
The race starts at the Seaport World Trade Center on Seaport Blvd. After running over a bridge, you arrive in downtown Boston. Around mile 1 we ran by the Old State House. Then we ran by Quincy Market. Around mile 2 we ran by the famous Cheers bar and then split off from the 5 mile runners. At mile 3 we ran over the Massachusetts Ave bridge and we could see MIT.
Miles 4-6
Around this time we ran along the Charles River. We continued on Memorial Drive and then ran by MIT around mile 5. We then hit a little incline but still continued along Memorial Drive. I felt decent for the first half of this course. The weather was still great and I was keeping a steady pace. I also ran all of the inclines.
Miles 7-9
Still running along Memorial Drive and we hit the turnaround just before mile 7. Loved the view of the Boston skyline on this part of the course! After mile 9 we crossed back over the Massachusetts Ave bridge. We could also see the Prudential Center in the distance. During this part of the race we also encountered the emergency vehicle and cheer section! This section included police vehicles, fire engines, and active and retired 1st Responders cheering us on. They had their hands out so that we could give them high fives, which I did!
This was a hard section of the race for me. Physically I felt myself slowing down and I started to have some pain in my right kidney area. Whenever I would run it would hurt, but walking felt okay. My stomach was feeling a bit crappy so I couldn’t take in my fuel. I decided to mix water and Gatorade so that I would get in some hydration and electrolytes. I usually cannot stomach Gatorade but because I diluted it with the water it was fine. Taking in the Gatorade mixture helped with the kidney area pain but then my right hip started screaming at me. Oh well, if it’s not one thing it’s another!
Miles 10-13.1
We ran along Beacon Street for a while before turning onto Arlington Street. Then we made a turn onto Boylston Street. It felt so cool to run down that street knowing that it’s part of the Boston Marathon! We could also see the Boston Common on this section of the race. At mile 11 we headed back toward downtown Boston. This was a cool section because people were downtown shopping at the Downtown Crossing and also cheering us on! At mile 12 there was a Tribute Wall to honor the fallen. You can watch a video of it here. This gave me the incentive I needed to keep pushing forward and finish the race.
Wheels pretty much fell off during this portion of the race. It was hot. The race results said the temps got to 88 degrees but it didn’t feel that hot to me (I would say more like 80 degrees). At this point I was running to find any shade that I could. The trifecta of my right hip, crappy stomach and heat forced me to walk a LOT more than I would have liked but that’s just how things go sometimes.
I was so happy to cross that finish line!
As with every race, there are pros and cons. Here’s my list:
Cons
Long Course – My Garmin measured 13.5 and Michelle’s measured 13.4. Michelle also said that runners around her had similar distances on their watches. I know I tried to run the tangents as much as possible and we didn’t really run a lot in the city with the building, so the course was definitely long.
Race Shirt – I liked the color and design of the race shirt, but it’s cotton so I’m not able to run in it. They had tech shirts available for purchase.
Pros
Mid-Sized Race – While I don’t mind super large races, it is nice to run in mid-sized races. This race caps out at 10,000 runners between both the 5 Mile and Half Marathon. The race course never felt crowded yet I was never alone out there. That’s a big deal to me as a slower runner. It sucks when you’re out on the course alone!
Post-Race Food – After finishing the race we had to go back into a large room at the Expo to grab our post-race food. I was a back of the packer for this race and they still have plenty of food left – tons of bananas, oranges, chips and bagels…BAGELS! Y’all know how much I love a post-race bagel. They had plenty of seats and tables in the room as well if you wanted to sit down and eat. In addition, they were also were giving out Yasso Frozen Yogurt bars. That was the perfect treat after running in the warm weather. I highly recommend the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor – yum!
Race Logistics – I absolutely loved that the designated hotel for the the race was near the expo and the race start/finish. Also there were tons of great restaurants within walking distance from the hotel. Honestly, the accommodations couldn’t have been better! In addition, the race was super well organized. We had a wave start – faster paced runners were positioned on the left side of the street and slower runners on the right side. There were 3 waves with 5 minutes in-between each wave so my wave started around 7:15am. This ensured that there wouldn’t be any bottleneck sections on the course. I saw visible mile markers and there were plenty of water/Gatorade stations. The volunteers were amazing as well.
Security – I’m always very appreciative when I see security at larger races. There were a few different security checkpoints for runners and spectators. They were checking bags as well. Thank you to the Boston Police Department for keeping up safe and making me feel more at ease.
Pro and Con
Race Medal – While I like the race medal as it definitely fits in with the theme of the race, and I love that it fits the challenge coin, I don’t like that everyone got the same medal. I prefer when races have different medals for each race distance.
So, would I recommend this race? ABSOLUTELY! Not only was it super well organized, but I love that the races really focuses on paying tribute to our fallen law enforcement and first responders. In addition, the race gives money to various charities in the community as well. If you’re looking for a race in Boston, you’ve found it!
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I’m also linking up with Marc from Train With Marc and Debbie from Coach Debbie Runs for Coaches’ Corner!
Congrats! I love that this course shares some mileage with the Boston Marathon. That had to be really cool. I actually like a cotton race shirt so I can wear it off the road. And how cool that you got to see Michelle!
I thought that was pretty cool too considering I don’t believe that the Boston Marathon is in my future, lol.
I’ll probably either wear the shirt to sleep or when I’m doing stuff around the house – it won’t go to waste!
Wow! I wish I lived MUCH closer to Boston. This race sounds pretty perfect. The medals are nice, I love that they resemble police/rescue badges…and the coin is a nice touch. I didn’t notice in your Insta pics, but the badge-shaped bibs are a nice detail! Well done, all o fyou π
Right? They really kept the theme consistent through the entire race. I also loved that the race bibs weren’t massively large either!
I have never raced in Boston and I would love to.
What a great race. Live the medal. So fun to meet up with a fellow blogger too.
Yes. Post race bagel is a plus.
I think you did fine. Not every race as we all know can go perfectly due to many circumstances.
Iβve done 37. Have to catch up.
Thanks Darlene! If you ever want to run a race in Boston, I think you would love this one.
I’ve noticed that a lot of races no longer do post-race bagels so I’m always like “yay” when I see one, lol.
Congrats on your half! What a cool medal. I can’t believe it was 88! Wowzers! Love that “World’s Okayest Runner” T-shirt. So great!
Congrats! Sounds like a great course but too bad it got so darn hot. I never really toured Boston because I was always saving my legs for the marathon. I need to go back!
I feel like I need a good 5 days in Boston to really explore everything!
Sounds like a great race overall! I love when the hotel is so close to the start line, it makes race morning so much easier. And way to go pushing through, it sounds like it was a tough race!
When traveling I am all about convenience so having the hotel so close to everything was awesome!
Congratulations! Running – any race! – in Boston sound like so much fun. I love the city!!
It was such a cool city – I need to go back!
This sounds like a really fabulous race & such a good cause. Iβm sorry that it got so hot β after all our cool weather thatβs really difficult to handle.
Love that there was still ample food for the BOTPers. π
I was so happy to see the abundance of food left for the BOTPers!
Congrats again on your 40th half. I think it is important to enter a race for a good cause. Beautiful medal and great pics.
Thanks so much!
Congrats on your half! Boston is an awesome city to run in. You always make the destination sound like so much fun! We are going to Boston later this summer (not for a race, though). I will keep some of your Boston tips in mind, especially that brunch place!
Hope you enjoy you time in Boston this summer! There’s definitely a lot to do there.
I love the medal even if it isn’t specific to the distance. I’ve never run in Boston. I’d love to someday. Though I probably wouldn’t make the trip except for the Boston Marathon so I’d better get training, lol.
This looks like a great race and it’s awesome that they dedicate it to fallen first responders.
This is the first race I’ve done that was really dedicated to fallen first responders. This was the 15th year of the race and I hope they continue to do the race for many more years – it was so well organized!
Congrats!!! Sounds like a tough half with that kind of weather towards the end (heat always messes with my stomach) but I LOVE that the race focuses on paying tribute to first responders and I would LOVE to run a race in Boston someday! Definitely will be adding this to my bucket list!
Yeah the unexpected heat after such a cool Spring was sort of a slap in the face but I’m happy it wasn’t humid – that would have been a double whammie!
I think your Boston race will be the Boston Marathon π
Yay! It sounds like you had an awesome race. I’ve never raced in Boston but maybe someday.
Thanks! It was a very nice weekend overall.
Great recap Kim! Now I’ve gotta get you back here to hang out for a few days π
Yes indeed! I need to see more of the city and surrounding areas π
Great job with your race. It’s hard to run a fast half marathon when it’s warm out, so congrats on a good effort.
Thanks Marc!
The Coin Challenge is definitely new. I don’t remember it when I ran it. Congrats on another half marathon! I am glad you enjoyed it! I did too.
Thanks so much Zenaida!
That sounds like a really fun race and a way to experience Boston that isn’t just the marathon!
Congrats on finishing! I love that shirt that you and your mom picked up! That is totally me too! π
Thanks so much! I am looking forward to wearing the shirt, lol
Gosh, this sounds like a great Half with a great course, and I love easy logistics. I’ve wrangled a few business trips to Boston over the past few years, and do love all the sights you mentioned. Is it always Memorial Day Weekend? I might have to make plans for next year … BTW, you and your mom are way more than okayist runners, but I think the shirts are cute!
Yup, this race is always on Memorial Day weekend! This year was the 15th year anniversary of the race.