Marathon madness

Being a son of the Bay State, I remember the Boston Marathon when it was a strictly amateur affair. While it was the premier marathon in the U.S., it gave no prize money for winning. The point of running in it, was running in it.

So this guy, who stopped along the way to kiss a woman from Wellesley, gets the official News Cut marathon winner designation.

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Why would a runner who went to the trouble of training for the marathon stop in the middle of it to kiss a woman? Because he could.

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The marathon itself was a battleground for civil rights in the ’60s. Kathrine Switzer tried to run in the race in 1967, only to be hustled off the course by marathon boss Jock Semple.

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This picture, taken by a friend of mine at the start of today’s race, has me wondering what Jock would say today, were he still alive.

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