Racers ready for 'Heartbreak'

Placing encouraging signs on front lawns, cheering on runners or handing out water bottles, Gatorade and orange slices, people along Commonwealth Avenue chose different ways to support runners in yesterday's Boston Marathon.

In Newton, a crush of spectators gathered at the corner of Washington Street and Commonwealth Avenue to cheer on runners who would soon face the ordeal of what is known as Heartbreak Hill.

The hill is an ascent of approximately half-mile between the 20- and 21-mile marks along Commonwealth Avenue near Boston College. It is the last of four hills in Newton beginning at the 16-mile mark.

Deb Sigmin of Danvers held bright yellow signs, one for her daughter, Jenna Sigmin and one for her cousin, Mike Murphy, both Marathon runners.

"It's such a landmark," she said. "They're both going to look for us here."

Jenna works at the New England Aquarium and Murphy is a veterinarian from New York, Deb said.

"This is (Jenna's) first race," Deb said. "She's been training about a year. She actually was in Ecuador for six weeks and did a lot of training there. She's very excited."

Just before noon, droves of runners trudged down Washington Street and onto Commonwealth Avenue, passing Newton Fire Station 2.

Outside the station, Union Vice President Ed Melendez, with fellow firefighters, raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association selling T-shirts, hot dogs and sausages.

Retired firefighter Mike Greeley of West Newton watched the race as he has done almost every year since the 1950s.

"When I was a kid in the '50s and watching this at City Hall, there was probably less than a thousand runners. Now there's over 20,000," he said. "I used to run five miles a day. If you worked here (at Fire Station 2), you always got to see it. If you worked at other stations, you kind of felt lost without it."

At the 18.3-mile marker of the race near the intersection of Chestnut Street and Commonwealth Avenue, a 14-member medical team treated spent marathoners, providing massages for cramped legs, Icy Hot for sprains and sunscreen.

"They are all volunteers. Their backgrounds range from first responders, to (emergency medical technicians), to massage therapists," said first aid station supervisor Mike Tryon. "We haven't seen any traumatic injuries. Just those that are typical of race day. Mostly general muscle cramps."

Tryon, an EMT in western Massachusetts, said this year's injuries were far less severe than what he has seen in his 10 years as a volunteer.

"As far as what we've seen in other years, it's been a fairly quiet year in the sense of there's not a lot of traffic," he said. "Some folks decide to drop out (around the 18.3 mile mark). Their bodies are slowing down. Sometimes it's a quick assessment. Some just want to stop and rest."

More than 350 people were chosen as medical volunteers this year, Tryon said.

Near the intersection of Walnut Street and Commonwealth Avenue, many runners turned to walking, appearing to be feeling the "burn" from the steep incline.

Yesterday Merridith Hill of Taunton stood behind a police barricade trying to get a glimpse of brother-in-law Aaron Meberg.

"He's an avid runner. He ran for WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)," she said. "This is his first Boston Marathon. I'm concerned because his pace is a little fast so he's hitting his markers a little fast. I hope he can keep it up."

Former Newton resident Amy Silverstein said she has watched the race in Newton every year for 20 years.

"I've noticed the first aid tent gets bigger and the race keeps starting earlier and earlier," she said. "They sell a lot more stuff now too."

Vendors along Commonwealth Avenue sold a variety of food and children's toys. Others used the road for places to set up advertisements for storage businesses and sound-proofing companies. Small planes, streaming banners with ads and other messages, flew overhead.

Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com