52

NOTEBOOK

Spotlight on Sustainabilty: adidas Celebration Jacket

This year's adidas Boston Marathon Celebration Jacket is made of a minimum 70% recycled content, making it the centerpiece of adidas' most sustainable Boston Marathon collection ever. Featuring innovative, lightweight fabrics, trims and silhouettes, the jacket aims to make athletes feel invincible, run faster, and achieve something impossible – all developed with the goal of minimal environmental impact.

As part of adidas' commitment to keep pushing the boundaries of sustainable offerings by utilizing environmentally pre

ferred materials, this year's jacket includes yarn containing 50% Parley Ocean Plastic: re-imagined plastic waste intercepted on remote islands, beaches, coastal communities, and shorelines to prevent it from polluting our ocean. Even the jacket colors nod to the intersection of nature and sport by pairing natural tones inspired by sand and stones as a twist on the traditional blue and yellow colors of the Boston Marathon.

The 2023 Boston Marathon Celebration Jacket is available for purchase online and at the Expo over race weekend

New Documentary on Trailblazing African American Women Marathoners

The National Black Marathoners Association (NBMA) has made history by producing an award-winning documentary about African American women marathoners who’ve broken the three-hour barrier titled Breaking Three Hours.

Breaking Three Hours is a feature-length film highlighting nine women who’ve broken the barrier and are inductees of the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame.

Among those featured is Marilyn Bevans, the first to break three hours at the 1975 Boston Marathon and the runner-up in Boston in 1977. Others featured include Alisa Harvey, Ella Willis-Glaze, Ingrid Walters, Michele Bush-Cuke, Michele Tiff-Hill, Samia Akbar, Shawanna White, and Sika Henry.

The film is produced, directed, and written by Anthony R. Reed, a two-time National Distance Running Hall of Fame inductee and co-founder and executive director of the NBMA.

Learn more about Breaking Three Hours: Trailblazing African American Women Marathoners at BreakingThreeHours.com.

CHAMPIONS RETURN

Back in Boston celebrating their victories 50 years ago are Jacqueline Hansen and Jon Anderson. At the 1973 Boston Marathon, Hansen set a the women's course record of 3:05:59, while Anderson broke from the pack near Mile 20 and went on to a 2:16:03 win. This will be Anderson's first time back at the Boston Marathon in nearly five decades.

Jacqueline Hansen

Jon Anderson

Jon Anderson is not to be confused with John Anderson, the decorated sportscaster who will be calling play-by-play of this year's race for ESPN and WCVB-TV!

SUSTAINABILITY STATS:

80% of waste from the course is diverted into sustainable streams, such as recycling or compost
21 tons of clothing was collected at the 2022 Boston Marathon and donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
6.6 tons of paper cups provided by Gatorade and Poland Spring along the route were composted following last year's race
Since 2018, waste tonnage going to landfills has been reduced by nearly 40 tons

Portrait of Spencer

In January, a portrait of Spencer, the official dog of the Boston Marathon, was unveiled at the Fairmont Copley Plaza celebrating the canine's positivity and impact on the Boston Marathon. After courageously battling cancer, Spencer passed away in February of this year, just two months shy of the Boston Marathon.

Pittsburgh-based artist Tom Mosser painted Spencer's portrait as he famously held his Boston Strong marathon fags. The custom portrait took just over a month for Mosser to complete, using acrylic ink on canvas. The 5½-by-4½-foot painting is on display at the Fairmont Copley Plaza for visitors to see.