clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Runners set to race public transit in Boston

After years of jokes and jabs, some Boston runners and the MBTA's Green Line B train hope to settle who's the fastest once and for all.

By Andrew Husband
Wikipedia

Boston commuters joke about how slow the Green Line of the MBTA is, especially the B train between Boston College and Kenmore Station. Inspired by a GIF of marathon-winner Rita Jeptoo outrunning the train, the Boston Calendar and RunKeeper have teamed up to put this joke to the test.

On Friday, July 25, at 11:00 a.m., two teams will take off from the Boston College stop of the B train. A group of runners from the RunKeeper offices will race the train along its Commonwealth Avenue route, while community manager Jim Redding will board the train. Both teams will track their progress with RunKeeper Live until they reach the finish line at the Blanford Street stop.

Sean O'Connor of the Boston Calendar reached out to RunKeeper after being inspired by Jeptoo's sprint against the train. As he told Boston Magazine, "We kind of just decided to go forward with it. It’s easy to talk about it, but it’s another thing to make it happen."

In addition to RunKeeper Live's tracking, spectators can watch the race unfold in real-time on YouTube. They'll also be able to follow the event's progress on Twitter with the hashtag #OutrunTheT.

Participation is limited to the RunKeeper employees who volunteered for the event. However, as O'Connor said, "If people want to show up and run, it’s a free country."

My friends and I joke often about the snail's pace of the B train, but I'll be watching from the air-conditioned confines of my office.

May the best man, woman or machine win.