For the first time in its brief (four-year) history, Fred's Marathon/Half-Marathon will not be held on a new course. In a reprise of last year, the races, which begin concurrently, will be held at Worcester State College. Half-marathoners will complete approximately four loops of the circuit familiar to anyone who has run a 52-Week Series race at Worcester State or the Focus On Women 5K, while the marathoners, predictably enough, will negotiate eight loops. While this may sound monotonous, some races have featured even more dizzying layouts: The Sri Chinmoy Marathon in Portsmouth, N.H. reportedly consisted of twenty-six one-mile loops. One of the greatest things about running Fred's is kicking back in front of the tube the next day and watching people pound themselves silly on the Boston Marathon course; such is the physiological basis of "Fred's Instead"!
Sunday, January 07, 2007 01:59 PM