The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Randy King and his wife Stephanie in Boston.

Local marathoner Randy King realized one of his highest running goals when he finished the 106th Boston Marathon on April 15.

The Boston Marathon, considered the most prestigious foot race in America, has been run since April, 1897, after leaders of the Boston Athletic Association were inspired by the marathon that took place as part of the 1896 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

The Boston Marathon has grown from 19 starters in the inaugural race to over 16,000 this year.

King qualified for the race by running the Portland Marathon in October. Although his time at Portland of 3:22 minutes did not meet the 3:20 standard for his age group, he wrote a letter with his application explaining a delay caused by a train in the middle of the Portland race and was granted the opportunity to run.

"I didn't go to try to break any records," said King, "but to enjoy the event itself."

His strategy must have worked out because he did in fact break his personal best by touring the course in 3:19:08, good enough to place 3,283rd.

"It's kind of amazing to start the race in Hopkinton because it is quite rural," said King. "It's like running down Camp Polk Road -- there's no shoulder or anything."

Two of the most well known sections of the course are the "Scream Tunnel" and "Heartbreak Hill."

The "Scream Tunnel" is where course passes through a narrow road along the Wellesley College campus.

Wellesley is a women's college and has established the tradition proving they are the most exuberant of fans by screaming for all the runners passing by.

"It was so loud, you couldn't hear the person next to you talking," said King. "The young male runners who had painted messages like 'I love Wellesley girls' got particularly loud responses," he said.

King's "Heartbreak Hill" experience at the 20 mile mark was pleasant instead of painful.

"The hill is lined with some of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen, so instead of worrying about the hill, I just enjoyed looking at the scenery," he said.

According to King, the marathon is the centerpiece of Boston's most exciting week of the year.

"It's run on Patriot's Day, which makes for a great three day weekend for the Bostonians and all the visitors in town for the marathon," he said.

King was accompanied by his wife Stephanie for the trip.

This year's race included a healthy serving of patriotism, in light of America's experiences with terrorism.

"A lot of people ran with shirts bearing the names of victims of September 11," said King.

"One man ran the entire course with a huge American flag in his hand."

King was among 73 men and 53 women from Oregon who finished the race this year. King said that if he were to return to Boston he would want to share the experience with his son, David, a sophomore distance runner.