"Boston Billy" Rodgers wins Boston...again.
In our first year, MVS continued to grow. We outgrew Gerry's mudroom and moved our monthly meetings to Andover High. We began having hosted long runs, and even began gathering for training runs. Our coaching back then came from whatever one of us had read in Runner's World or in books written by the guru's of the day - Ledyard (LSD is good if it's long, slow distance), Jim Fixx (The Complete Runner...and then The 2nd Complete Runner), and the heart doctor, Dr. Sheehan (beer is a good carbo replacement drink). Just as MVS grew, so did our sport. No longer did we have to search out races to run. They began to spring up everywhere, and you could find a race to run nearly every weekend!
By 1980, the running boom was in full swing and MVS was on its way. There were lots of races to run and other running clubs were beginning to form. All this created a wonderful competitive spirit. The big race, however, still remained The Boston Marathon. Just like now, you don't even have to say the full name - just "Have you run Boston?" - everyone knows what you mean. This was to be our 1st year of the MVS Bus to Boston.
Yes, those singlets do look like basketball tops...they were!
We learned a few things that first year:
- Having a bus was awesome! We got right in without worrying about traffic - though we had to pretend we were an "official bus", a practice that was continued right up until Dave McGillivray became the race director. He knew our little secret, and created a club bus program. Thanks to Dave, we are now legit!
- Having refreshments on the bus for the ride home is critical...especially Dr. Sheehan's favorite carbo replacement drink.
- Having a waiver that specifies that the fee covers the ride to Boston only, and the ride home is complimentary if you get to the bus on time is a good idea. We learned that the day after the race when I got a call from a non-MVSer that took our bus, got confused at the finish, and took a BAA bus back to the start to find our bus. He threatened to sue me and the club for abandonment!
Gerry Grasso sampling the bus beer.
1980 proved to be an important year for MVS in many regards. There were many firsts, many new initiatives, many successes and a few failures. We learned from them all, and our club continued to flourish. I look forward to sharing more stories from the past with you. For those who were around back then, let me know if there are any stories you'd like to hear.
More to come...
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