May 5, 2010 (Colorado Springs, CO) – Boys and beer got her into running decades ago and now here she was, reliving her greatest marathon experience, chuckling at all Wellesley signs that blurted, “Kiss Me, I’m Gay.”
Lisa Rainsberger, 1985 Boston Marathon Champion,
returned to commemorate her victory this year
“I thought, ‘Wow, that’s changed.’ That wasn’t there 25 years ago,” said Lisa Rainsberger, who ran the Boston Marathon with her husband and daughter in April to commemorate her win in 1985—the last by an American.
Back then, as a twenty-something first-timer, Rainsberger barely noticed much of her surroundings. The heat was getting to her, and she was struggling to hold onto her lead.
But this time, running as an honorary starter and at a 4-hour pace, the Colorado Springs athlete-turned-coach had a chance to soak it all in—from the limo ride at the airport to the outrageous signs hoisted high by the screaming women.
As she soon discovered, it wasn’t just the signs that were different. Technology had changed. In 1985, race nutrition and hydration was primarily water—not gels, bars and Gatorade. And entrants weren’t loaded up with I-pods, fancy stopwatches and navigational systems.
The biggest difference of all, however, was having her family right beside her the entire race. They started together and crossed the finish line, hand in hand. The most profound moment came after they crossed, when Meghan—running in her first-ever marathon at age 26—broke down in tears of joy.
“You build up for something for so long, and when you finally do it, it’s such a relief,” Rainsberger said of her eldest daughter.
Colorado Springs TV reporter Bill Folsom films Rainsberger
for a segment previewing her run in the 2010 Boston Marathon
Her youngest children got to participate in some of the weekend festivities as well, with 8-year-old son Ian proclaiming at one point, “Mom, you’re a rock star!”
Indeed, there were tangible differences. In 1985, she stayed in the basement of a home in Hopkinton as the guest of a family that had volunteered to house an athlete. To this day, she doesn’t even know if the family knows she won. She got up early, and left the clothes she slept in behind, along with her toothbrush.
This year, organizers put her entire family up at the Copley Plaza Fairmount, with its gilded ceilings and crystal chandeliers. The expectations also were different. In 1985, she wore bib number 1 and was the pre-race favorite. This time she just wanted to make sure they all finished.
And they did, in 4 hours, 3 minutes—about 90 minutes behind her 1985 pace. Only the pain was the same.
“A marathon hurts no matter what,” Rainsberger said. “The fact remains—it’s 26 miles. So when I raced, I just got done quicker, but the pain was still the same.”
Her recovery time, however, was quicker because she ran at a comfortable—not grueling—pace. Husband Bud, however, had one suggestion.
“Maybe the next time we run a marathon we ski less and run more,” she recalled him saying, noting that downhill skiing isn’t exactly the best way to train for a marathon.