Marathon Monday Boston-The Pain of the Run
It struck me quite convincingly leading up to and certainly during the 2010 Boston Marathon that training for and running a ‘Boston’ (or any other marathon for that matter) is very painful. This became quite apparent when my sister, much to her disappointment, came down with an injury and had to drop out of the race weeks before it began. Her pain even prior to the race was much different than that experienced by the thousands of runners on Marathon Monday in Boston. All of the runners experienced varying levels of discomfort as they navigated the 26.2 miles of what can only be pure hell.
Most of the runners below are elite, top-level athletes, at the top of their respective careers. You see Ryan Hall, the top American finisher, whose pain can only be known by realizing that he failed for the 2nd year in a row to finish first. Even Erkesso, the woman’s top finisher, looks uneasy as she repeatedly looked over her shoulder for the nearest competitor.
I don’t think that I’ll ever even pretend to be a marathoner, but I will always respect those that are. Great job to all who ran and finished Boston, we’ll see you in NY, Abby!
Sacrifice, sense of purpose in the face of incredible odds, endurance…all these qualities are the epitome of human. These incredible moments in time seem to have been captured with all this in mind. It is said that in terms of hunting, humans evolved into long-distance runners to eventually run down one’s prey - hence the energy-efficient bipedal physiology follows that purpose. I am sure this is the last thing on a marathon runner’s mind, but who can say. The long run for the worthwhile goal perhaps.
While all these are great, here are my thoughts on two of my favorites…
The first one is striking for its defined side-view of the face. Unfortunate though that it didn’t come out as clear as it could have, fast-action/athletic photography must be tricky for shutter speed, even on aperture priority. Still, the smooth background and white sections gives the abstract impression the runner is blowing off heat from the eyes/brow and mouth.
Second to the bottom is incredible as well. There is a clear sense of purpose and sacrifice in the runner’s face. A resignation to the pain and required time for the long distance hell-run. The depth of field is really interesting for its focus on the chest, everything else is soft. Perhaps my eyes deceive me in thinking the focus on the face could be better. However the entire photo gives an impression of singular purpose - ‘just breathe and keep moving.’
Great moments in time and emotions captured. Keep on shooting. Hope you don’t mind my rambling observations.
Kat
Katrina
30 Apr 10 at 6:25 pm