Tale of the Tape

AGE: Christopher (CB): 28 Boston Marathon (BM): 112
END TO END: CB - 5'4'' BM - 26.2miles
Weight: CB - 144lbs BM - ???
Previous Marathons: CB - 1 BM - 111
Born: CB - Oxnard, CA BM - Hopkinton, MA
Hometown: CB - Keene, NH BM - Boston, MA
Known Feature: CB - Calf Muscles BM - Heartbreak Hill
Secret Weapon: CB - Quads BM - all the downhills
X-Factor: CB - Motivation BM - The Weather
Sponsors: CB - Dana Farber BM - Many, many, many
Chief Fuel Source: CB - Pasta... BM - none
Pairs of Shoes: CB - 6 BM - about 25,000
Heroes: CB - Father, Liz BM - Bill Rodgers, Uta, Johnny Kelly, Rick and Dick Hoyt
Goats: CB- none BM - Rosie Ruiz
Chief Rival: CB - Self BM - New York
Non-Running Pasttime: CB - Music BM - Transportation

Analysis: The big questions are around the intangibles... how will starting in the slower wave effect the long term outlook of the race? What will the weather be? How will the legs feel as course switches from downhill to uphill? Also, how will recent injuries and illness affect the race? Will the easing up on training be a good thing allowing for the body to be well rested or will there be missing strength in the late stages??? One thing that can't be denied is that the challenger looks to be fired up, relishing his role as a David, as an underdog. He's got the motivation and the determination. He's had months to train. Now he's making final adjustments to his gameplan. He likes his odds. The course has no real surprises. We all know about Heartbreak. But the weather will be a huge factor. We'll all be watching the weather reports closely. We know that generally, if the runners are happy with the weather, the specatators aren't. So we'll be waiting and watching.
Edge: Even. For every thing one has, the other has an answer: tough hills, tough quads. Long distance, tough legs. Perhaps a slight edge to the competition. You have to wonder if after 111 years the course is lacking in the inspiration. Each year, the competition comes in with stories and personal inpsiration. This is after all the Boston Marathon...