Thousands Of Runners Grab Bib Numbers, Gear At Boston Marathon Expo
BOSTON (CBS) -- Thousands of runners swarmed the Hynes Convention Center Friday to pick up their bib and gear ahead of Marathon Monday.
"I am the most excited I've ever been in my life," said runner Jenna Quicke, from Michigan, as she picked up her bib. "This is going to be my 33rd marathon but my first Boston so it took me a really long time to get here."
The Marathon Expo is a runner's shopping extravaganza: sneakers, jackets, t-shirts and more from every popular sports brand.
"This is like Disney World. Everybody is just so happy. You can really feel the scene of the runner's community," said runner Allie Caminiti.
Kevin Doris, who ran the marathon last year, knows how to prepare for this year's weather. "I'm going to make sure I wear a raincoat going in and then have an extra pair of shoes so that the shoes I put on before the race are dry," he said.
"The marathon brings in more than $200 million to the local area, economy, the greater Boston economy. A lot of that commerce, a lot of that business happens here at the Expo," explained TK Skenderian of Conventures Inc. "There will be tens of millions of dollars in commerce being done over the next few days from footwear to apparel."
Runners here have a lot of heart. Melissa Stolper is the sole runner for the Max McCormick Memorial Foundation, created in honor of a four-year-old boy who tragically died in a car crash. "His parents created this foundation to work with local fire departments to honor Max's dream of becoming a firefighter when he was a grown-up."
The Expo will be open all weekend. Over 100,000 people are expected to make their way through it.