Boston Marathon-Centennial Race Edition [Paperback]

Tom Derderian (Author), Joan Benoit Samuelson (Foreword), Bill Rodgers (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1995

Offering a complete history of the race - from the dirt-scratched starting line of the first marathon in 1897 to the electronic start of 1995's race, this text reports on the results from each year and provides an account that helps readers to relive the drama surrounding the people who shaped each race - how they trained, the problems they encountered, the sacrifices they made.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"I heard about the Boston Marathon as I was growing up in Kenya, and Tom’s book gave me a better understanding of all those who have run before me. It makes my victories here even more special."

Cosmas Ndeti Three-time Boston Marathon Champion Boston Marathon Men’s Record Holder, 2:07:15

"The Boston Marathon is my favorite race and I appreciate Tom’s ability to capture the whole atmosphere. I loved reading this book."

Uta Pippig Two-time Boston Marathon Champion Boston Marathon Women’s Record Holder, 2:21:45

"Boston Marathon definitively recounts the rich story of this great sporting event. Derderian has captured the essence of the Boston Marathon and its place in running history."

Guy L. Morse Race Director Boston Athletic Association Boston Marathon

"What readers can take away from Derderian’s book is a real sense of challenge and history that is the Boston Marathon."

Rob de Castella Former Boston Marathon Record Holder

"Compelling. Derderian’s sensitivity to human detail has transformed a good and necessary book into a transcendent, thought-provoking one."

Kenny Moore Senior Writer Sports Illustrated

"The definitive racing history of the Boston Marathon."

Amby Burfoot Executive Editor, Runner’s World 1968 Boston Marathon winner

About the Author

For Tom Derderian, this book is the culmination of a lifetime of experiences related to the Boston Marathon--from his earliest childhood days as a race spectator to his 14 runs highlighted by a then world-class 2:19:04 performance in 1975.

In the '60s, '70s, and '80s Tom Derderian raced and trained with the top runners of the Boston Marathon, counting many of them as close friends. He competed in the Olympic Trials in 1972 and 1976 and won many New England running titles. As a coach and member of the Greater Boston Track Club, North Medford Club, and Boston Athletic Association, he knows firsthand the personal costs involved in training for and competing in the Boston Marathon.

Tom is a former editor of New England Runner magazine and has been a regular contributor of articles to Running Times and Runner's World for more than 20 years. He also has coached runners at the high school and club levels, founded a running club, and directed road races and track meets. For many years he worked in research, design, and development for Nike and Reebok--he holds three U.S. patents for running shoes and apparel.

Tom is vice president of USA Track and Field--New England. He has provided race commentary for local radio station broadcasts of the Boston Marathon since 1988. He is also writing the scipt for a documentary film about the Boston Marathon.

Derderian is the head men’s and women’s cross-country and track-and-field coach at Salem State College.

He, his wife, Cynthia, and their two daughters live in Winthrop, Massachusetts. They are all regular competitors in local races.

Product Details

• Paperback: 664 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics Publishers; 2 Sub edition (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880114797
• ISBN-13: 978-0880114790
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #670,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As satisfying as a marathon PR!, June 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Boston Marathon-Centennial Race Edition (Paperback)

Running fanatics will become as obssessed with reading this book as they are with completing their daily workouts. Derderian combines rich, journalistic descriptions of each year's race with engaging biographies of individual runners -- winners and non-winners alike -- many of whose stories are chronicled across successive chapters. The book should be especially pleasing to those interested in reliving the era of American marathon dominance in the 1970s and 1980s: they'll not only get to read more about Bill Rodgers and Joan Benoit Samuelson, but will also be treated to vivid and inspiring accounts of perennial also rans like Tom Fleming and Patti Lyons Castalano. Equally fascinating are the tales of the Japanese, Finnish, and Kenyan runners who have enjoyed their own periods of preeminence over the years. If you are training for an upcoming marathon, you should definitely keep this volume close at hand for motivation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Boston Marathon until 1994, August 2, 2007

By 

kohoutekdriver8 "kohoutekdriver8" (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boston Marathon-Centennial Race Edition (Paperback)

The book gets quite tedious towards the end, but the stories about the earliest races, as well as the arrival of women in the 1960s, are very interesting.

Each year's story concludes with a list of the top finishers, which after 1966 included women (although not officially until 1972). The way the earliest women runners dressed (Carol Brady blouses and beehive hairdos) almost merit another star in itself. In an unfortunate twist of fate, Uta Pippig, the German champion featured on the cover, was later stripped of many of her awards when it was discovered that she used performance-enhancing drugs.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Collection of Boston Marathon History--Run on!, September 26, 2001

By 

M. Swinney "Marc My Words" (Flower Mound, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boston Marathon-Centennial Race Edition (Paperback)

I picked this book up while getting ready to run in the 104th running of Boston and it truly heightened the whole experience. It enabled you to pick out the landmarks throughout the course (Kenmore Square, Newton Hills, the 25 mile Citgo Sign, the screaming Wellesley girls/I high-fived one of them, the Brookline cemetery in the netherworlds of the last 5-6 miles) and most of all get a good grasp and appreciation on the history that had run before.

It's amazing what a complete detailed history the author was able to put together and how he was able to pick out a unique individual aspect from each race. What stands out are the American Indians running at the turn of last century with Tom Longboat, Clarence DeMar's dominance in the 20's, Kelly Senior and Junior, Bill Rodgers, Ibrahim Hussein, and Cosmas Ndeti. They are all there with details from the race, details from the runner's lives, details of the victories, and more interesting details of the not quite victorious. What really stands out is the focus on the plight of women runners in the marathon and how difficult it was for them to break the barrier in the 60's to enter the race. Bobbie Gibb, Kathrine Switzer, and Sara Mae Berman were true pioneers and had to face harassment from race officials to even be allowed to run in the prestigious Boston Athletic Association great race. Perhaps my favorite story though is that of Rosie Ruiz in 1980 that jumped the barrier from the ranks of the spectators and ran the last miles and took credit for the women's victory for a contentious period of time. She proved a little mentally unbalanced and to this day swears she won the race. This book captures all those quirky details and puts together a great history of what the 26.2-mile jaunt in Boston is all about.

I hold back giving this 5-stars because the non-runners may not find this book so engaging as myself, but if you care about the sport and especially if you are getting ready to run Boston don't miss picking up this book. Boston only gets more interesting year from year as a South Korean broke the Kenyan dominance last year and maybe just maybe Fatuma Roba will take the laurel wreath away from Catherine Ndereba.

The people of Boston love this race as is evidenced by not a single stretch of the course passing by without throngs of spectators handing you oranges, water, beer. Consequently the rest of the world has caught on to the enthusiasm of the Bostonians, as Boston has become the marathon to run. There is prestige, there is sweat, there is heartache and heartbreak, and there is a wonderful history all captured in this book. Run on.