Boston Marathon

Nervous Runners Anxiously Wait For Marathon Monday

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Those who ventured out on the town in Boston this weekend could plainly see that marathon madness has taken hold with only one full day left until runners hit the course.

A flame all the way from Marathon, Greece made its way to the starting line in Hopkinton Saturday where a cauldron was lit.

This is the first year for the torch, which is named the Spirit of Pheidippides after the famed Greek hero who ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to ask for reinforcements when the Persians invaded 2,500 years ago.

At the Annual Champions Breakfast the runners soaked in the pre-race jitters and excitement like pros on Saturday.

"The training is done. You are just resting and waiting for the huge celebration," said former champion Bill Rodgers.

Rogers said the runners are taking care of any injuries they have and relaxing with massages before the run.

Even astronauts know this is the challenge of a lifetime

"I'm pretty excited," said astronaut Suni Williams. "I was a little bit worried I would be ready for it. That was my biggest worry after being in space for 6 months."

Williams ran Boston last year in space on a treadmill. This year she is ready for the real thing.

"It will be really nice to have wind in my face," she said. "I'm not looking forward to Heartbreak Hill but I'm looking forward to seeing all the spectators. That will be really cool."

"I don't know if I'm that fit but I'm excited to run the Boston Marathon," said cycling champ Lance Armstrong, who is running the marathon to raise money for his Lance Armstrong Foundation. "It would help if I'd go and see it but I go in with no expectations."

He hasn't seen the course and he hasn't formally trained for the big run.

"I don't have an organized structure but I just wing it a little bit," Armstrong said. "You hear about Heartbreak Hill, and you hear about fast starts. I think people are tempted to go out quick because it is downhill. I go in clueless so I start conservatively and see how it ends."

For others though, the final days are for set up and staging.

Runners like Mike Koening and his family soaked it all in and tried to not let the pre-race buildup bog them down.

"My family tries not to go crazy with all my obsessions the day before the marathon," Koening said. "The hardest part about Monday is waiting for the race to start. From now until Monday is the hardest time. But once the gun goes off everything gets easier."

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