When you're complaining about the walk to Pembroke campus through a monsoon for your "early" 11 a.m. class this morning, try to be thankful you have only a couple hundred yards to walk and not 26.2 miles.
Kevin Sieff '07 and Herald Sports Staff Writer Kathleen Loughlin '07 will run the 111th Boston Marathon today in what is likely to be the worst weather conditions in the history of the event. The oldest annual marathon in the world begins at 10 a.m. in the rural town of Hopkinton, Mass., and finishes in Boston's Copley Square.
In order to qualify for the Boston Marathon, both Loughlin and Sieff completed a certified marathon, where both met the designated time standard required for the 18-34 age group. For Sieff, the qualifying time was three hours and 10 minutes, and for Loughlin, the qualifying time was three hours and 40 minutes.
Sieff qualified at the Buenos Aires Marathon in 2005, where he clocked in at 3:05:50. Loughlin qualified at the New York City Marathon in 2006 by recording a time of 3:30:27.
But inclement weather conditions will make today's marathon more challenging. The Boston Marathon's Web site includes a Weather Alert and Advisory for Participants, which state that today's heavy rain and wind, combined with temperatures in the 30s, puts runners at an increased risk for hypothermia.
"The weather's going to be awful," Loughlin said. "But you can't control it. You've just got to get over it and try not to think about it."
Loughlin and Sieff are not the only Brown students who will participate in the marathon. Nick Neely '07 of the men's cross country team and Pat Clark '07 will join Sieff for the last 10 miles.
"It's a huge help to have some comrades along with you," Sieff said.
Loughlin also plans to be accompanied by friends. Becky Crossin '08 and Alex Brown '08 will each run part of the race with her.
"The intent is that one girl will meet me at mile 13 and run miles 13-20 with me," she said. "Then, (another) will run miles 20-26 with me. Hopefully, we'll find each other, but in the rain, it's going to be hard."
Despite the weather, Loughlin and Sieff said they are looking forward to the race.
"I'm still really excited," Sieff said. "I spent all that time training, and I'm excited to be running with such elite runners, even if I can't see them, even if they're covered by mist. It's cool to be in the same pack."
