To call myself a Boston Qualifier is the light at the end of the tunnel of several years of marathon training. For every serious marathoner, it's the ultimate achievement in long distance running because it's the world's oldest and most prestigious marathon course. But, above all, it's an elite marathon with a competitive registration process. All the 25000 runners in the field have rightfully earned their places on the starting line.
I've harboured dreams of qualifying for Boston early on in my marathon "career", but at the time I was still a long way from making the grade. It was only when I got a London Marathon Good For Age place in April this year that I felt I had a serious shot at qualification. At that time I had the Chicago Marathon lined up next, which was perfect as it's a flat and fast course. Of course, over the five months of training for Chicago, there were doubts along the way, but it all fell into place in the later stages as I hit my target times in training and practice races. That alone gave me the belief that I was due for something special.
