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A running start in Franklin Park
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By adamg on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 10:49am
Patty spotted a well wisher at today's BAA Half Marathon which started in Franklin Park.
The race had some issues, some from nearby residents foiled in their efforts to sleep in on a Sunday, some from participants forced to run through Forest Hills:
Whose idea was it to route the #BAAHalfMarathon thru the hellish construction at #ForestHills? 45 mins Rozzie Ctr to Green St.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
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Comments
What does the sign even mean?
What does the sign even mean?
its the implication
It implies that the government is dysfunctional. This not an original sign, its been used many times at marathons.
Picture the Massachusetts
Picture the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families (DCF) personified as a marathon runner and the sign will make sense.
The Information On The Race Has Been Around For Months
Sorry your shut eye was more important than the money being raised for the Dana Farber JP. Welcome to city life.
Why can't people write checks
Why can't people write checks and not do a marathon?
Why can't people
Do something they enjoy and raise money at the same time?
They can, but let's not
They can, but let's not pretend that it has anything to do with raising money. It's just a mix of status seeking and attention whoring.
It must be awful
To live in such a shell of bitterness and grumpiness.
Attention whoring?
Sorry boss, but you are a joke. Some people enjoy pushing their limits, running with friends and generally pursuing fitness as an activity. It is fun, relatively cheap, and is an amazing way to see our city.
Thanks for being honest that
Thanks for being honest that it's not about fundraising.
Oh ffs--what's with the Bitter Betties?
I couldn't run a half marathon if my life depended on it but it's a terrific thing to do and if you're raising money for Dana Farber while doing something fun and challenging that makes you happy, then more power to you.
You mean
... like anon commenting?
I ran the BAA Half Marathon
And I raised a grand total of $0 for charity.
You might be surprised to know it is an actual road race. A fun one, too, as long as you are in shape.
Why do people write checks
Why do people write checks in this day and age?
Wait ...
I thought these things only happened in Cambridgeport, and only to inconvenience one bittler commentator?
I wondered why it was
I wondered why it was standing-room-only on my way to work via Orange Line today. Congratulations to anyone who can drag out of bed early on a Sunday, much less to run 13 miles.
It's 13.1 miles.
Thank you very much.
I'll see you your 0.1
Since you are doing it the hard way ... and raise you 100.0 aka "A Century Ride".
For an equivalent amount of effort, and less wear and tear on your body, you can get from here to Providence or here to Portsmouth in a few hours by bike, or even Portland in a day - with enough luggage to stay the night!
I guess it is all in what you want to see and how you want to see it, though.
Noooooooo thannnkkk you.
I did a century ride once. After realizing I was almost married to a bike seat in the end, I promised myself I'd never do it again. Anyone doing a century and enjoying it has to be part superhuman, at least in my eyes.
Well, thank you
I ran a marathon once when I was about 18 years old and came to pretty much the same conclusion: never again! Anyone my current age running even half a one must be either superhuman, nuts, or both!
That was tougher on me at 18 than the Pan Mass was at age 37!
So here's to your 13.1. With my knees, 1.1 is a challenge!
My last century ride was with my then 16 year old son, in a year when a detour around a bridge added eight miles and a lot of hills. I'd do it again in a heartbeat! I was so damn proud of that boy.
Best race ever.
I love the BAA half, great neighborhood vibe, people come out all through JP & Brookline, and an amazing finish through Franklin Park.
Sorry that people were delayed this morning, but there have been notifications about this multiple places for weeks.
Can't wait until the 2016 race.
I was thinking about the Case Overpass many months back.
As soon as I heard it was coming down, the BAA Half-Marathon immediately came to mind. Why? Well because I've run it for many years and know it ran right over the overpass. Traffic on roads which used to run under the overpass weren't affected too much at all. Now that it's all a grade crossing, the type of traffic which was seen this morning will happen when events like this are taking place.
It's a less
than three hour inconvenience. Murray Circle at the Arborway was open by 10 am. I bet most people weren't even aware of the closures never mind having to detour.
I don't know of any other event all year that used the overpass.
It was a 3 hour mess at Forest Hills
How do I know? After abandoning the shuttle bus back, I was stopped by the first traffic let through at 11.
Might shock you to know
but, many low income people going to their jobs on Sunday morning (yes, Sunday morning) use the MBTA, and need to get to where they're going on time. I'm sure most don't appreciate the inconvenience at all. All kinds of people live in Boston (area), and many don't have the luxury to take these kinds of delays and inconvenience in stride.
This is just one example, of which there are others, where tearing down the over-pass does indeed add to congestion and problems on surrounding surface roads. I understand some think it makes FH and JP look prettier and more quaint minus things like that over-pass, but we have elevated highways, depressed roads, and over-passes for good reasons in congested cities like Boston. We aren't Burlington, VT or Northhampton, MA.
A total disgrace
The way that this was setup. I had to literally drive out Brookline Ave to Francis st to Huntington Ave to south Huntington Ave and all the way to south St and then sent to forest hills st to come out on Morton and then sent back through forest hills just so I can get to the other side of the jamaicaway. They had every st blocked and when you asked one of the officers how do you get to the other side they pointed toward center st. Total disgrace.
There is
an easier way to get to the west side of the Jamaicaway. Stay on rt. 9 and cut through Brookline.
The race turned arose no before park drive.
You could have gone right to beacon st or comm ave from there.
Agreed
I had picked up my niece to take her to visit my parents. She lives in Roxbury and I live in Hyde Park. The traffic was beyond stupid.
They should have hired some cops to direct traffic. How this was allowed to happen without some paid details is beyond me.
There were about 50 cops hired for this detail.
And there was no traffic to direct, just closed roads. Without stopping ever car to find out where people wanted to go there isn't much police would have been able to do anyway.
But from Hyde Park to Roxbury, Washington St was open the whole way (from River St.)
Correction on your last point
If you were going from Hyde Park to Roxbury and relying on Washington Street, you were screwed.
My fellow runners abandoned the shuttle bus on one of those streets that run off Washington on the way back. Kind of tough to gripe about the traffic when you're the ones who caused it, but I still haven't figured out a good route from Green Street to either Roslindale or Cleary Squares, and I love finding shortcuts.
Hopefully they will work this out by next year. I love that Franklin Park is part of the race.
Sorry I meant Washington St. in Dorchester.
I went that very same route and at that time in the morning there was very little traffic, and this route was pretty far away from everything. W. Selden St, Norfolk St, were all cut throughs, and I'm pretty sure Blue Hill Ave. was open, just not to cut back towards Forest Hills.
Ease depends on start-end points
If one knew that the best way to avoid this mess would be to either go around the other side of Franklin Park or head up to Route 9, all would be well, but the publicity around the shutdown of this transportation hub was nonexistent.
Here's an odd one for you. Running over Route 9 on the way back, I always get struck by the traffic mess below. I mean, the road is not blocked off at all. Sure, Brookline Ave is, but the alternative is right there.
That's because pepole want to get on the Jamica way..
From Rt. 9 (which they can't), and they also can't cross the Riverway at Brookline Ave so that would back up the Rt. 9 traffic as well.
So people coming inbound on Rt. 9 wanting to get to the hospitals have to go Huntington Ave. to Longwood which is naturally going to back up as Huntington Ave. does every day.
That signs not saying much really.
It's like telling someone they drive better than a pangolin. Because, like, pangolins can't drive at all, so being a better driver than a one isn't much of a compliment.
Then again, I bet there are more endangered pangolins in existence than decent drivers in Boston..
Running is not a noisy activity
so why would this wake people up?
Spectators?
There were a surprising amount of them.
Beyond that, perhaps the sound of rubber hitting road from hundreds of feet at once messed with their heads.
One of the November Project guys was really loud.
I purposely slowed down to let him pass me. He kept yelling "WOOOO!". Then every time he saw another November Project runner he'd yell, "LET'S GO NP!!!!" and attempt to get/give a high five. He was pretty much the loudest person I heard all morning. That guy sure does love his running.
There were also a good amount of spectators ringing cowbells. At times, the crowds were boisterous. Nothing that would have kept me from sleeping though.
Amplified announcements
Aside from fan cheering, there are also announcements on a PA system to organize the start of such events.
Then there are the clappers and cowbells and all sorts of noisy things that spectators and organizers use to cheer on and welcome runners to the finish line.
Races can be loud
Until recently I used to live next to a popular 5K finishing line. There is typically an amplified announcer and music throughout the race, and a little before the start too. Sleeping in on race day just wasn't possible.
Not a complaint really. I knew what I was getting into moving so close to activities. It was super convenient on the occasions I was running it ;-)
Can't say I blame the guy for
Can't say I blame the guy for being pissed if there was music and pa announcements at or before 8am on a weekend. Although I'll happily trade one day of that for no more car honking from assholes at 7AM 365 days of the year.