Local Boston marathoner explains challenge of hills on race course
A Charlotte man will run his sixth Boston Marathon this Monday and he still has nerves thinking about the course
A Charlotte man will run his sixth Boston Marathon this Monday and he still has nerves thinking about the course
A Charlotte man will run his sixth Boston Marathon this Monday and he still has nerves thinking about the course
Training for the Boston Marathon is over, but no doubt, athletes put in hard work to train for the world's oldest annual marathon.
The course's numerous hills are what makes it arguably one of the toughest marathons to run.
“It’s so key just to take those first few steep downhills very, very carefully and not to beat your legs up too much. Because it’s easy to go fast flying out of the gate, you’ve got so much race energy," said Charlotte neighbor Billy Hafferty, a soon-to-be six-time Boston Marathoner.
As a physical therapist, Hafferty says it's all about conditioning our body to hills. He says running up and down a few times during your runs will do the trick. He adds that core work is key when it comes to hills, along with focusing on ankle mobility, like keeping the whole flat of your foot on the ground while striding uphill.
“Your whole foot can be on the ground, and you can drive through your heel and your whole posterior chain," said Hafferty.
But even as a somewhat veteran Boston Marathoner, Hafferty isn't immune to pre-race jitters, especially since he's aiming to finish this time around within three hours.
NBC5 will have live coverage of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2024.