The Running Thread - 2026

[FFigawi]

Congrats @jrsharp21! You are an Ironman! Welcome to the club.

 

[Psymonds]

I look for parks nearby and then take a look at them in satellite view on Google maps to see if they seem reasonable. But beware that many parks are in scenic areas....that are scenic for their hills, and hills don't really show themselves on satellite view.

If there isn't a park nearby, I'll tend to find a major road (usually if I'm traveling, it's in a city) and just do an out-and-back down the road to see what's there. The idea of being aware of unsafe neighborhoods is good but in this case, I'm generally just starting from my hotel, and hopefully my hotel isn't in an unsafe area.

Ok, I googled the nearby area and there's a generally flat large park a block from the hotel and google listed it as a good place to run.

 

[garneska]

Woohoo @jrsharp21 cant wait for your report!

 

[Psymonds]

Ok, I googled the nearby area and there's a generally flat large park a block from the hotel and google listed it as a good place to run.

lol, just realized I'm flying to Boston the week of the marathon, but after. .

 

[StarGirl11]

Wow, Nike needs to rethink their entire marketing department. I can't believe someone actually green-lit that ad. There are plenty of other great running companies to funnel my running budget to.

I've seen people defend it as 'Well its Boston so of course they won't support walkers/slower people'. Which is funny as someone whose actually experienced DLFing Boston because my disability took a downturn within weeks of Boston 2021. Because while its less talked about than NYC since its not a party atmosphere. Boston does send out support for the last stragglers at a certain point (I think once the sun goes down, but not entirely sure. I just know the bike that was with me first showed up after dark). I had a bike hopping between me and another runner starting around Mile 22. And then had him guiding me in starting sometime before Fenway (probably mile 24-25).

And I do mean DLF in every sense of the word. IDK if the RD still does it. But at least back then it was tradition for them to start after the last runner had started and run the entire course. Him and his entire enterage of what must have been a dozen people and a couple of bikes passed me right as we were going by Fenway.

You don't get official finish time because the clock shuts off at 5:30. But they will still give you a medal. I've got my 2021 medal somewhere. And don't get me wrong you do lose support of the aid stations once you're over time. But if your back of the packer your used to carrying stuff anyway. So that doesn't matter.

Boston is known for its fast runners. But that doesn't mean the support fully stops if your not fast. And considering my last two marathons as a ambulatory before I became wheels were both 10+ hours. I was definitely not fast.

Or the “Never again” at London Marathon… so, either people that works there are really speaking their mind and are that intolerant, or they are simple deaf/ignorant on society values…

Either way, no Nike for me..
an alternative ad was posted from another company: “go where you are celebrated, not tolerated”…

At rD we celebrate each other!

Considering Nike's other non ad contraversies I hate to say that they might just be that tone deaf...but it wouldn't shock me.

Also someone shared in a social group that apparently there was going to be an ad for London saying its not a walk in the park (in a way that seemed again not about difficulty but about speed). Which considering among other things the popularity of parkrun in the UK... Thats definitely a choice.