Boston Marathon Quotebook, 2003
A series of quotes compiled before, during and after the 2003 Boston Marathon

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By Don Allison
Posted Wednesday, 23 April, 2003

''I'm very proud to be the first American in the field,'' he said. ''To finish in the top 10 is a major accomplishment. I'm happy. To be in the top 10 in Boston is great at the age of 42. I was born in a small country. Belgium is the size of Rhode Island. This is a big country and I'm the one representing it. Where is everybody else? It's kind of disappointing that there are not more US runners. The other Americans are not here today.'' - Eddy Hellebuyck, first U.S. finisher.

''It is very nice to win this marathon, because you make your name in your country.'' - Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, 2003 winner.

''I don't look at who's behind me. I just keep an eye on who's in front of me and try to catch up. So I only realized it later.'' - Fedor Rhyzov, first masters finisher, on passing Rodgers Rop, last year's champion.

"The way I have prepared. I will run the same way I ran last year." - Rop, who finished seventh this year, before the race.

"We look at these events like the Marathon and the Fourth of July celebration as planned disasters. This is an opportunity to test some things you would never want to test in a real disaster.'' - Rich Serino, Boston EMS chief at the medical tent after the race.

"Marathons are like that, they expose any weakness you might have. It just went bad for me the last couple miles. I am not the runner I once was mentally. I lacked the mental fortitude. I have been burning the candle at too many ends. You can't run like I did and expect a good finish. Everything has to go just right. It was an experience, not a great experience, but that's the beauty of the marathon," Bodnar added. "It can almost kill you or you can reap the glory. You never know what you're going to get that day." Jason Bodnar who faded after a fast start to finish in 2:32.

"In Maine (marathon) I felt like I was really conservative, because I didn't want to keel over at the end. But now, with all the training I've done, I feel like I can push it a little more, be a little more aggressive. So it'll be interesting to see how it turns out." - Emily Levan, who finished as the 12th woman in 2:41, speculating before the race on how she would do.

"For a bite of Powerbar, a thimble of rice and a shot of Clif, these people will kill their own. Now I understand what marathoners mean when they say that actually running the 26.2-mile course is easy; getting there is the tough part. - Washington Post columnist Steve Nearman, on the pre-race runner's expo.

"They were wiping themselves with toilet paper and throwing it right on the lawn. When my sister told them it was private property, they looked at her like she had two heads." - Kathy Arena, Hopkinton resident, on runners using lawns on private homes to relieve themselves before the race.

"The story of my life is that I can't concentrate on one race. If I train for one race, gear for one race, something always seems to go wrong. I'd rather keep running. I feel a lot better that way. I'm less nervous and I feel less pressure. I would not advise other runners to adopt my lifestyle. To be a serious runner, you should train for one race. But often, when I run back to back, I feel better in the second race. I made $48,000 racing last year, and that's not bad for a master.'' - Eddy Hellebuyck

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