Woooo! We're a week away from the Boston Marathon. Taper madness has officially set in.

Roundup

Are you running? Want to know who's in your corral or who's going for a similar goal? Are you planning on going to one of the meetups/shakouts (see the Meetup section)? Drop a comment like the following to help find like-minded Meese.

Slack

If you aren't part of the Slack org, join here. There's a #bostonmarathon2018 channel that will be used to help coordinate meetups, advice, where you're getting a beer, whatever. Join us!

Pre-Race Meetups/Shakeouts

Saturday 9:00am - Boston now has an official Parkrun! It starts at 9:00am at Jamaica Pond. A lot of Meese will be showing up for that to do a shakeout (unless you actually want to race it I guess, do that 5K/mary double).

Sunday 10:00am - Tracksmith is hosting a shakeout that will serve as another meetup, though that starts at 8am which is early for some, so the plan is to meet there at 10. Look for ARTC gear or someone standing around awkwardly. You'll find someone.

/u/zond0 is planning on being at both meetups and has offered to rounding everyone up, so watch the Slack channel for that.

Race Meetups

If you want to meet up in Athlete's Village, aim for the northeast corner (closest corner to the start) of the big tent in the middle. i.e. here. You'll almost definitely be getting there with a long time to hang out -- it will likely be a half hour/hour in the village before moving up to the staging area.

Race day last minute coordination will be difficult, since bag check is at the finish line before you board the bus to Athlete's Village, meaning most runners won't have phones past about 6am. Keep that in mind.

Post-Race Meetups

• Nothing official yet, but Rock Bottom really worked last year, so I'm suggesting that.

• Anyone else planning on going somewhere specific?

Info

• We didn't have a specific advice thread this year, but last year's Spring Symposium - Boston Marathon thread had lots of great advice.

• The temperature is looking pretty ideal, but at the moment, the forecast says some rain. If it does rain, vaseline/body glide on your toes and feet & everywhere you've ever gotten chafing. Wear a hat to keep the rain out of your eyes.

• This is a decent video preview of the course. 20 minutes long, but it shows you what the whole course looks like, and Ryan Hall and others give advice for different parts of the course.

• Reviving the Boston Marathon Moose Map from last year. This map has the course, locations of meetups, locations of spectators (as they're announced), and a couple other points of interest. If you want to add something to this let me know.

• Be aware: bag check is at the finish line, meaning everything you bring with you to Athlete's Village will have to be thrown away or carried with you. Bring some throwaway clothes / old heat sheets / whatever.

• The Gatorade at the aid stations this year is Gatorade Endurance, the difference being... oh FFS... it has more "gatorlytes". I don't even.... ugh. Anyway, same carbs but less sugar/sweetener (so tastes a little less potent), and more salts. It's actually a really great race day drink, but beware, it's not your usual gatorade.

Spectators

• You generally want to avoid the finish line, or even the ~0.5 mile before it. You probably won't see anyone cuz the crowds are so deep. That said, if you're tracking a runner who you're planning on meeting at the end, while taking the Green Line out/into the city to try and see them twice is possible, it's highly unlikely. My suggestion is between Kenmore Square and Hereford Street. It'll be crowded, but you can find a spot against the fence.

• If you're looking for advice for you or your family to meet you after the race, you can go to the family meetup areas, but in general it's easier to meet somewhere right inside the Public Gardens. It'll give the runner a place to plop down in the grass and should be easy to spot people since most people will be sitting or lying down.

Elites

There will be a race day thread to discuss elites, so for us watchers, that should be fun. Full US Elite list and international Elite list.

The women's race should be incredible to watch. Shalane v Jordan v Molly! Does not get much better than that.

Men:

Galen Rupp, Dathan Ritzenhein, Abdi Abdirahman, Shadrack Biwott, Ryan Vail

Women:

SHALANE, Jordan Hasay, Molly Huddle, Desi Linden, Deena Kastor, Sara Hall

Last Minute Questions

Have any other questions that haven't been answered yet?

Still need to figure out transportation? (answer: shuttle)

Can't decide whether to wear 2" shorts? (answer: what's wrong with you, obviously wear the 2" short)

Don't know where you're staying yet? (yikes. you're probably homeless)

Ask below or in the Slack chat throughout the week. We'll get you covered.

Moose Ambassador

/u/zond0 has accepted the position of ambassador this year. She knows the area well, plans to be at the meetups, and is endlessly helpful (I'm pretty sure she brought d1rt a sweater while in line waiting for the expo last year). If you need any advice / clarification on meetups or the weekend or whatever, she's a great start.