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Article: Race of the century lures nearly 40,000.(Sports)(100th Boston Marathon)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- April 13, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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BOSTON - On Monday, the Boston Marathon turns 100. And the centennial birthday party this weekend is growing to fitting proportions for the world's oldest and most prestigious endurance race.
In a city steeped in sports heroes and traditions, this 26-mile, 385-yard footrace from sleepy rural Hopkinton to historic Boston has survived both the tests of time and the professionalism that overtook running in the 1980s.
Just 15 men were crazy enough to attempt the first Boston Marathon - then a mere 25 miles - starting at noon on Patriot's Day 1897. And 10 of them actually went the distance.
Nobody back then could have imagined that 99 years later, ...