Recently, I took on the challenge of winning the Boston Marathon. Last year I lost to my friend Joe Chebet so this year was going to be different. I assured fellow Parlovay members at club meetngs and flinctions that my bold race strategy would enable us to take turns holding the key to the city while riding to the Dogwood in my new Mercedes. Of course, there were also to have been interviews with the media, the statue of "Boston Brian" at the foot of heartbreak hill, handshakes with local politicians and $80,000 tc defray the club's recurring Thursday night expenses. By now most of you have learned that lost the Marathon, an outcome that has left many of us scratching our heads for explanations.

I won't make any excuses, though certainly number of factors, both situational and conspira torial, played a rdle. Local press obsessed about the exploits of Rob "Elian" Kerwin, severely limiting my exposure to corporate sponsors. Further, my decision to forego major marathons and bypass Andy's Olympic trial training height ened my relative anonymity in international running circles. Still, to be seeded in Hopkinton with a race number that looked more like a tel(phone number and had me starting the Marathon somewhere near the bus parking lot made us all wonder. This merely culminated a week of almost near inattention by BAA reprerentatives. While Moses, Fatuma and the rest of the "big name" rnners were being catered to by Ray, Felix and other volunteers, I was virtually ignored except for the occasional "just scan your chip on the mat and keep walking" orders I received at the Hynes.

We need not go into my treatment during the race (medical treatment received after the race was extraordinary, but that's a different story) ignored at the elite water tables, distracted by jovial back of the pack runners, forced to circumnavigate marathoners wearing costumes but let's just say it did not work to my advantage. The Marathon finish once again wa extremely close and naturally the rather lengthy staggered start meant the favored Kenyans and EthIopians would cross the finish line some distance in front of me. The results clearly showed outscored Elijah Lagat 12032 to 6 in runners passed during the race, yet race officials were quick to declare him the "official" winner of the 2000 Boston Marathon.

Alas, as Uta Pippig reminded me recently, life is not always fair. However, thanks to Sarah's cake decorating skills, I was later able to "eat the Kenyans" - one letter short of accomplishing my stated goal. Come to think of it I also did talk with local politicians - President Julie and Vice President Jim. I don't have that Mercedes, but there's still a chance my car will pass the new safety inspection. As for Thursday nights, the local fare is still very affordable and increased ftinding might only lead to our ruin. Maybe losing the Marathon is not the worst thing to have happened, and I'd like to thank each of you active Parkway runners for making it possible.