Best of Boston? Without question, Patriots Day with the Marathon and Red Sox has a celebratory vibe no other city can match.
Here in Boston, the only events that might surpass Patriots Day involve a certain type of amphibious landing vehicles.
We could, in theory, throw down the gauntlet, issue a formal challenge, dare any other city in North America to claim it has an annual celebration of region and sport as sublime as Patriots Day in Boston.
But c’mon. What would be the point? To humor, oh, Philadelphia?
You know the truth, I know the truth, the approximately 30,000 participants in the 128th Boston Marathon and the tens of thousands of fans cheering them on know the truth, and so do the thousands that made their way to Fenway Park for the Red Sox’ traditional 11:10 a.m. first pitch.
When the weather cooperates and the vibes are equally as warm, nothing anywhere else matches Patriots Day.
Here in Boston, the only events that might surpass it involve a certain type of amphibious landing vehicles.
“I had three parades here in New England on those Duck Boats” said Rob Gronkowski, the former Patriots star and enthusiastic grand marshal of Monday’s Marathon, during a prerace interview on Ch. 5. “Let me tell you, those were the best experiences of my life, and today will remind me of those days.”
Gronkowski expertly set the good-time tone, firing up runners at the starting line in Hopkinton and later spiking everything he could get his hands on, including a football on Boylston Street and his ceremonial first pitch at Fenway.
But the communal spirit of the marathon is an annual recurrence and an enduring part of its charm, and that bond has grown stronger and more precious in the 11 years since the Marathon bombing.
Even the elite runners, for whom every stride matters, sometimes find themselves swept up in that spirit. Emma Bates, leading the pack of elite women, found herself giving high-fives to the fans in the “scream tunnel” near Wellesley College.
“It was crazy,’’ said Bates, who lived for two years in Boston and ultimately was the top American finisher in the women’s race for the second straight year, this time in 12th place. “I thought last year was crazy loud, but this year surpassed that completely.”
The races — men’s and women’s elite, and men’s and women’s wheelchair — featured a little bit of everything: suspense, redemption, a runaway victory, and even a crash.
In the men’s elite race, Sisay Lemma was a solitary figure for much of the 26.2 miles, taking an enormous lead of nearly three minutes and, while slowing over the final miles in 65-degree temperatures, still prevailing without a true challenge, finishing in 2:06:17.
Evans Chebet, who was aiming for a third straight Boston victory, finished third, only appearing in Lemma’s rearview mirror after the final turn onto Boylston Street.
The victory was both a runaway and redemption for Lemma. The 34-year old Ethopian had struggled in Boston in the past, including failing to finish twice.
“Several times I’ve dropped out of the race before, but today I won and I’ve redeemed myself and I’m very happy,” said Lemma, who was later spotted wearing a Celtics hat.
While the men’s race featured Lemma’s singularly impressive effort, suspense was sustained with a noticeable contrast in the women’s race, where for a long while Bates led a pack of approximately 20 runners setting the pace. But by the time the race reached its final mile, just Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi remained in front — and Obiri accelerated down the stretch to win for the second straight year.
“It’s only been six women [who have defended their title], and I said, ‘Can I become one of them?’ ’’ said Obiri, a 34-year-old Kenyan. “Defending a title, now I’m in the history of books in Boston.”
Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men’s wheelchair race for the seventh time, despite one scary instance where his navigation was faulty. Hug took a turn too sharply and crashed into a barrier near the Newton firehouse. A quick check confirmed his wheelchair was intact, and despite the crash, he still set a new course record of 1:15:33.
“It was a huge relief that nothing was broken on the chair, my body was okay, maybe there was a lot of adrenaline so I couldn’t feel it,’’ said Hug.
After winning the women’s wheelchair race in 1:35:11, Eden Rainbow-Cooper of Great Britain was overcome with emotion, saying again and again, “I can’t believe it.”
“I just wanted to come here and finish the race and just have fun,’’ said Rainbow-Cooper. “So, first place, I can’t believe it.”
First place is something that probably won’t be associated with the baseball team down the street anytime soon. In front of a crowd that included several Celtics, the Red Sox lost to the Guardians, 6-0.
But we’ll get back to complaining about their current condition another day. There’s a whole summer ahead for that.
Patriots Day, once again, was about the best this city — the best any city — has to offer. Compared to Marathon Monday, the best any other city’s finest day can hope for is to be runner-up.
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