Boston Marathon: I Won't Be A Bandit.

Monday is Patriot's Day, a Massachusetts holiday which means my taxes are due a day later and that a ridiculous amount of runners will pass the apartment in their quests to conquer 26.2 miles in the 111th running of the Boston Marathon.

And in my own spirited fashion, I am participating. I have the day off to watch the television coverage and cheer the competitors. I am not running, despite being asked on a almost daily basis. My reason is simple. I will not run Boston as a bandit.

Anyone reading this who doesn't know what a bandit is, the definition is basic. It is any runner who runs the race without an official number. Boston offers official numbers to those individuals who qualified by meeting time standards or through charitable organizations who are allotted numbers to give to members and contributors. The time standards can be found on the Boston Athletic Association website or by clinking this link. The size of the field is limited to 22,500 runners, although many more will hoof it from Hopkinton to Boylston St.

Despite predictions of bad weather this year, the event will still be a big deal. Almost half a million people will line the streets to watch and the various colleges will celebrate in their own fashions, a different marathon of sorts.