26 Miles to Boston: The Boston Marathon Experience from Hopkinton to Copley Square

Rating:
Summary: Great Book !!! Highly recommended
Review: As a recreational runner from the Boston area, I was always interested in the Boston Marathon, and I thouroughly enjoyed Mr. Connolly's book. It is not filled with dry statistics, but with personal stories from some of the greatest runner's in the world, as well as from his own personal experience of running the great race. The author seems to have written the book for the person who always wanted to run the marathon for the history, the fun, and the glory of the race, and he captured it perfectly. It is well written and wonderfully illustrated. Again, for anyone interested in running, even a recreational runner like myself, and the Boston Marathon, this book is a cant miss.

Rating:
Summary: most entertaining sports related book i ever read
Review: For a person who isn't into sports, I found this book delightful, very easy to read and quite educational. Mike Connelly is very witty and his descriptions of his experience make you feel like giving it a try

Rating:
Summary: most entertaining sports related book i ever read
Review: For a person who isn't into sports, I found this book delightful, very easy to read and quite educational. Mike Connelly is very witty and his descriptions of his experience make you feel like giving it a try

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Summary: Disgusted by inclusion of bandit experience
Review: I bought Michael Connelly's 26 Miles to Boston as a Christmas gift for my husband. I was aghast to read that the author had run the race as a bandit (i.e. not registered--either by qualifying, as part of a charity program or any of the other ways to LEGALLY run without qualifying). This one fact all but ruined what otherwise would have been an entertaining and interesting book about one of the world's greatest running events. In particular, his tirade against Marty Liquori, who had the temerity to suggest on-air that unregistered runners respect the Boston Athletic Association's rules and decline from taking advantage of the many course amenities for which they didn't pay (in Mr. Connelly's case this included the expertise of medical staff after the race), reduced my respect for him as a "runner" to the point that I couldn't enjoy the book. I suspect other runners who do respect this great race may have similar feelings. It took me several years to get to the point that I could even consider trying to qualify for Boston; Mr. Connelly decided six months ahead of time to begin a running career and had such a sense of entitlement as to feel that the world owed him the privilege of running the Boston Marathon right off the bat. This would have been a much better book without the inclusion of Mr. Connelly's self-righteously conceived, ill-advised personal experience.

Rating:
Summary: I liked the comments from the real Boston runners
Review: I bought this book while in Boston and was eager to read it as I was unable to remember much of the course. Marathons kill brain cell, I guess. In the early chapters the author tells how he didn't qualify, but intended to run anyway. I could not keep this detail out of my mind. Part of the "Boston Experience" is qualifying. The book gives lots of information of the towns and neighborhoods along the course which is great. Skip the author's acount of his run. It upset me, since I worked and sweat to qualify for Boston. The guy wrote a book that is easy to read, but he never qualified or experienced the real Boston. Skip this book unless you can't find anything else.

Rating:
Summary: In defense, sort of, of bandits . . .
Review: I read this book as someone looking forward to doing his first Boston Marathon (20th overall) next April. I can't imagine a better introduction to subject. It is rich in history, anecdote and illustration. And its mile by mile "feel" for the course brings the event alive. I suspect it is the closest thing to a definitive book on the subject. But particularly I want to address the criticism (in one of these reviews) that it is written by a participant who didn't qualify for the event -- i.e., a "bandit." I agree (with the critic) that achieving a qualifying time is an important part of the experience. Doing a 3:42 marathon in Portland (Ore.), after my most diligent training ever, brought me my greatest thrill as a runner (at age 65!). But as a first-time marathoner, Michael Connelly conveys a delightful naivete and sense of wonder that by definition a "qualifying" marathoner couldn't. I found myself particularly looking forward to the italicized paragraphs begun with his initials "MPC:". Secondly, whether the Boston Athletic Association or any of the official runners likes it or not, "bandits" constitute a regular part of the landscape. It seems significant that the BAA, on the book's jacket, offers an endorsement of "26 Miles to Boston." One more thought: Three-time winner Uta Pippig of Germany, quoted throughout, comes across as such a classy, wonderful athlete and human being that her spirit ought to be bottled.

Rating:
Summary: It puts the reader in the shoes of every runner.
Review: Let's face it, running a marathon is one of the ultimate physical challenges and Mr. Connelly enables the reader to share in the excitement. His personal accounts of running his first marathon can motivate the average "Joe" to begin training for their first marathon. You may want to buy a pair of running shoes when you purchase "26 Miles To Boston". ENJOY !!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Running for Glory
Review: Mr. Connelly gives us a unique and entertaining account of the Boston Marathon. He presents to us with a multi-layered telling of his running of the most famous of all races. He tells us his story but also gives us an entertaining history of the race and those who have run it. He also introduces us to the merchants and spectators who line the course each Patriots Day. This was a very enjoyable read!!! Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Boston Marathon from a first time marathoner's point of view
Review: Mr. Connelly provides an entertaining back-of-the-pack point of view of his first marathon, the centennial running of the Boston Marathon. Although the book is not a training manual, it is a great account that should be read by first time marathoners. Experienced marathoners, on the other hand, will be able to relate to mental highs and lows described by the author during his run. Most amazing, but not covered in depth, was that the author was dedicated enough to train for the marathon, as a "bandit", during one of the worst winters recorded in New England. That perseverance carries over to pages of Mr. Connelly's book.

Rating:
Summary: Runners Rejoice!
Review: Never has a book captured the essence of not only running Boston, but mararthoning as 26 Miles to Boston has. The author's account of his run humanizes the event - and puts a face on the Boston Marathon like never before. In my mind any concerns with the runner's running status (non-qualified) are put to rest by the fact that the three greatest runners ever to run the Boston Marathon support the book with personal endorsements in the form of forewords. Also the Boston Athletic Association lends their own quote to the cover of the book further endorsing the author's account of the Boston Marathon. In my mind the Boston Marathon is the greatest race in the world. People come from all over the world to run in this event - some are qualified some are not. What makes it special is the fact that all are provided the opportunity to compete in the "Open" event. The Boston Marathon is not just for "elite" runners, but runners of all levels, nationalities and backgrounds. I love the way 26 Miles to Boston captured the special qualities of the race and intertwined the author's account and the champions' accounts of the race. I would recommend this book to all runners, marathoners and fans of the Boston Marathon, the elite and non-elite alike.