Running in the Boston Marathon is quite an achievement. You have to qualify to enter, and there’s a lot of competition for each spot.
Chris Anderson has qualified thirty years in a row.
The Bayport, Nova Scotia native starts training for the run in January.
He runs six days a week, working his way up to running 100 kilometers a week, and he says it’s all worth it.
“The crowd is fantastic,” He says. “The full 42.2 kilometers, there are people on either side of the road cheering you on, cheering you on.”
Anderson has 29 medals from the Boston Marathon, and next week he runs for his thirtieth.
“On my first occasion doing it, it was just such a marvelous, wonderful experience. I thought, I qualified for this, I enjoy it immensely.”
When Anderson runs the Boston, he wears a Canadian flag singlet, and even with 30,000 other runners out there, he hears, ‘Go Canada Go!’
He says his favourite memories about running the marathon aren’t about crossing the finish line, or even the medals, he says it’s about spending time with family.
“A lot of families get together at the Christmas holiday, my family always gets together, always, at the Boston Marathon,” he explains. “So my grandkids are there now, and they do what my children did when I was younger.”
Children and grandchildren gather at different spots along the course, holding flags high and above the crowd.
He remembers breaking the three hour barrier in 2001.
“I did it at two hours, 59 minutes, fifty-seven seconds.”
Chris Anderson says he’ll continue to run the Boston Marathon, so long as he can qualify.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw.
