
1-MILE POINT
Spirit of the Marathon, the statue of 1946 Boston Marathon winner Stylianos Kyriakides- the Greek runner whose victory brought much-needed attention to his country after World War II-and Spiridon Louis, his mentor, will get you into the spirit of the race.
6.8-MILE POINT
In Framingham, an H.H. Richardson-designed 19th-century railroad station has been renovated and is now the Old Station SteakHouse (508-872-3234), an all-you-can-eat Brazilian churrascaria. You can start training for next year's race in a week.
10-MILE POINT
Casey's Diner (508-655-3761), in the town of Natick, is a 1922 10-stool diner that measures 10 feet by 20.5 feet, and is one of the oldest, best-preserved diners in the country. Grab a bite and watch the runners while they still have some spring in their step.
12-MILE POINT
Offset the grueling display of endurance with some calming art at The Davis Museum and Cultural Center at Wellesley College (www.davismuseum. wellesley.edu), one of the best academic fine arts museums in the US.
20.5-MILE POINT
Watch all the color drain from the runners' faces as they ascend infamous Heartbreak Hill. When you've had your fill of others' suffering, sprint over to White Mountain Creamery (617-527-8790) and make expressions of euphoria as you eat a chocolate-dipped waffle cone sundae in front of some very jealous passers-by.
25-MILE POINT
As if the marathon-induced traffic couldn't get any worse (take the runners' lead and hoof it around town), it turns out there's a game at Fenway Park down the street from the finish line. Visit www.redsox.com for tickets.
26-MILE POINT
Don't let the fact that you're not running in the race keep you from doing your own carbo loading. Head two blocks off the route to Sonsie (www.sonsieboston.com) for some delicious brick-oven pizza and a bottle of wine.
FINISH
Shopping is an endurance sport at Copley Place (www.shopcopleyplace.com) and The Shops at Prudential Center (www.prudentialcenter.com). The attached malls comprise over 150 stores. Yes, you'll find running sneakers there.
HISTORY
FIRST & FOREMOST
In addition to hosting the world's oldest annual marathon (since 1897), Boston is home to many of the nation's "firsts." You can still visit:
Public park (Boston Common, 1634) / University (Harvard University, 1636) / Lighthouse (Boston Light, 1716) / Restaurant (Union Oyster House, 1826)-also claims to be the first restaurant to offer toothpicks / Botanical garden (Public Garden, 1837) / Large public municipal library (Boston Public Library, 1848) / YMCA (1851) / Public arboretum (Arnold Arboretum, 1872) / Subway (the T, Park Street Station, 1897)