Toni Reavis in Hell

An unseasonably warm day brought Boston Marathon times crashing back to earth -- did we only dream that someone ran 2:03:02 last year? -- and set the stage for all sorts of dramatic reversals in this year's race. University of Louisville alum Wesley Korir avoided suicidal mid-race surges and moved from sixth to first over the final miles, overtaking Levy Matebo at last to win the men's race. Sharon Cherop waited patiently for 25.9 miles and then made one decisive move to pull away from Jemima Sumgong for victory in the women's race.

This year, I tried to follow all of these developments by staying glued to WBZ coverage of the race on TV. It was a mixed experience. On the plus side, the split screen and earnest attempts to keep a camera on at least one of the lead packs at all times were much appreciated. On the minus side, other than Toni Reavis, the commentators were typically inane and annoying.

Mr. Reavis, for nearly 30 years a passionate promoter of, and expert analyst for the sport of distance running, was rarely given an opportunity to explain what was going on, and when he did, he was usually ignored or interrupted. If you felt pity for the runners as they plodded along in the heat, I hope you also had charitable thoughts for the lifelong expert who sat surrounded by clueless colleagues, having so much to say but no one, apparently, to listen.

For example, Reavis tried more than once to put the dire warnings about the heat in perspective, comparing 2012 to other notable hot days at Boston. But the heat was THE story and any suggestion that there had been worse days for running were not particularly welcome. While I did truly feel sorry for the runners who had hoped for a cooler and faster day, I wondered if it might not be even worse to be exposed to the non-stop chatter about the heat, including endless admonitions to use their "get out of Boston free" card and wait until 2013 or the next chilly Patriots Day.

In the final results, only 427 people chose not to run and accept a deferment until next year (when it will probably be 90 degrees). And in the end, approximately 95% of those who started the race finished. So it was a hot day and a tough race, but survivable.

But back to Reavis: here is a guy with a profound passion for running who is also intelligent and articulate. He prepares for his broadcasts by becoming familiar with all of the contenders. He draws on a wealth of knowledge and experience as a runner himself, as a writer, as an analyst. he has been to Kenya and Ethiopia to see how the East African athletes live and train. He has shouted himself hoarse trying to get his audience to appreciate the immensity of what they are seeing, as he famously did in the final stages of the 2010 Chicago Marathon. (Watch the clip again - you'll get chills.)



But in the WBZ broadcast, Reavis was the third or fourth option for comments, usually given a few seconds for a word or two before another commercial break. His insights were clearly a lower priority than the "play-by-play" chatter, Katherine Switzer's comments, and the finish line interviews ("what was it that allowed you to win this race?").

The runners suffered through Purgatorial fires, but for Reavis, it must have been Hell.