Two Chatham Runners Competing in the Boston Marathon

Chatham’s Kim Wood and Renee Hartford will be competing in the 2012 Boston Marathon. The race, considered one of the best in the world, will take place April 16 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Wood will run in the Women’s 35-39 category after qualifying in May 2011 at the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon taking 20 minutes off her previous best time finishing in 3:42:57.

Hartford qualified in May 2011 as well, at the Ottawa Marathon, and will run in the women’s 50-54 division. Hartford also competed in the Boston Marathon in 2007.

According to Wood, who own’s Chatham’s new running store, “Up and Running,” located on King Street in Downtown Chatham, the race for her won’t strictly be about the competition. Instead, she is looking to enjoy the experience as a whole,

“I’ve trained and prepared to try to go faster than I previously have, but I really want to allow myself to relax and enjoy the experience. The Boston Marathon is a big deal to me, and I don’t want to go into it and be so focussed on performance that I miss out on the excitement and the celebration of being there. I think that if I can run a strong, smart race, and survive the hills without having to walk, I will be satisfied, regardless of time.”

Each year, the Boston Marathon attracts half a million spectators and visitors to the City of Boston. The race itself involves more than 25,000 competitors each year and is called one of the five World Marathon Majors.

Qualifying for the Boston Marathon is an accomplishment in itself for most runners. CKSN.ca will have results from Kim Wood and Renee Hartford following their race.