Boston Marathon Race Starters Announced

When they Board of Selectmen met last night they planned on discussing the logistics of the Boston Marathon on April 16, but it was an off the cuff question from Selectman Michelle Gates that may have been the biggest topic of the night.

Gates asked Chairman of the Hopkinton Marathon Committee Dorothy Ferriter-Wallace who would be firing the starting gun.

Ferriter-Wallace was tentative in responding for the main waves of the race, but she did say that a relative of the late Eva and David Bergesen would be firing the starters pistol for the third and final wave of the race.

According to Ferriter-Wallace both Eva and David were involved in the Hopkinton Marathon Committee and after Eva's death in January they wanted to honor all of the couple's hard work.

To announce the rest of the starters, Ferriter-Wallace introduced Executive Director of the Boston Athletic Association Thomas Grilk.

Grilk listed of the starters for the men's race, women's race and wheelchair race. He also said there was one person who was tying to figure out if he would be able to attend the race.

As with every year since 1990 Walter F. Brown will shoot the starting pistol for the race. Nina Kuscsik and other women runners from the first official women's race 40 years ago will start the women's race. Senator John Kerry will start the wheelchair race and Grilk said the B.A.A. is trying to get "another Massachusetts senator" involved in starting the race. [Presumably Grilk was referring to Scott Brown, the state's only other senator.]