Blake Meyers Runs the Boston Marathon in St. Louis
Like many other events and gatherings, the Boston Marathon was postponed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the qualifying marathon runners was Danforth Center Principal Investigator Blake Meyers. Blake had been training for months, preparing to run the 26.2 miles through Boston with thousands of other runners alongside him. When the marathon was postponed, Blake decided to spend the day of the Boston Marathon doing his own run through St. Louis, stopping at the Danforth Center and St. Louis landmarks along the way.
First Stop: The Danforth Center
Starting from his home in Clayton, Blake ran a loop out through Ladue, stopping at the Danforth Center. The Center is a high spot in St. Louis County, so the elevation increase gave him some hills. “Warson Road was a nice substitute for ‘Heartbreak Hill’ in the Boston Marathon, although it came earlier in my run than the real one,” said Blake. With 8.5 miles down, it was time for Blake to head back home to refill his water supply.
Blake Meyers at the Danforth Center near the beginning of his run.
Into the City
On the second loop, Blake ran from Clayton to Lindell Boulevard. He went through the Central West End and St. Louis University, stopping to get some photos of iconic landmarks along the way. Then he headed downtown to the Arch, running around the arch grounds before heading back to Market Street. He ran past Busch Stadium and Union Station, back past SLU and the Central West End, and then through Forest Park.
Blake stopped to snap a photo at Busch Stadium.
To the Amoco Sign
Finally, Blake made sure to run past the big Amoco sign as homage to the large Citgo sign that runners pass in the final few miles of the Boston Marathon. From there he ran through the Washington University campus before heading home.
The Amoco Sign in St. Louis, Missouri.
At the tail end of his run, Blake ran through the Washington University campus before heading home.
In total, Blake ran 29 miles, at an 8:08 min/mile pace, excluding the time he took for photos and a quick break at home between his two major loops. “The weather was perfect, and I only saw a few people on the whole route. And I got to take some nice photos of a few iconic St. Louis places along the way,” said Blake.
Over the last nine months, Blake has qualified for Boston four times. His most recent qualifier was in the Atlanta marathon on March 1st, the last organized race that he ran before the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, he has qualified for the 2021 Boston Marathon, so he hopes he’ll still get to Boston, if anyone does.
Whether it is moving research forward or finding positive ways to come together as a community, we are proud of the way our Danforth Center team members are adapting to these unusual circumstances. Click here to learn how our Education Research Lab is adapting their research to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.