How far is the Boston Marathon?
All marathons are 26.2 miles

When is the Boston Marathon?
Every year, the Boston Marathon is held on Patriot's Day. In 2005, that falls on April 18. Click here if you aren't familiar with Patriot's Day.

Where does the marathon start?
It starts in rural Hopkinton, MA and finishes in downtown Boston at Copley Square. Check out the course map here.

What's the weather like in Boston in April?
It's usually perfect running weather - around 50 degrees. Every few years there's some freakishly warm weather. Let's hope that doesn't happen this time!

How many people run in the Boston Marathon?
In 2004, there were 20,328 entries. 15% of those runners are from foreign countries.

What is the winning time?
Men's record: Cosmas Ndeti (Kenya) 2:07:15, 1994
Women's record: Margaret Okayo (Kenya) 2:20:43, 2002

I heard that you have to "qualify" to run the Boston Marathon. Is that true?
Yes! You have to have run another approved marathon in a qualifying time. For females age 18-34, that time is 3 hours 40 minutes. However, 1100 slots are available for officially-recognized charities.

How does the Boston Marathon compare to New York or Chicago?
Boston is one of the oldest, and perhaps most prestigious marathons in the world. And it is one of the only marathons that require you to qualify before you are allowed to enter.

What is "heartbreak hill"?
It's the most challenging part of the Boston Marathon course. Between mile 20 and 21. There are actually four hills, but heartbreak hill is the last. At its summit, the Prudential building comes into view. "It's all downhill from here."

Have you ever run a marathon before?
No, but why not start with the best marathon in the country? Before training, I hadn't run more than about seven miles at once.

Why are you doing this?
I've always wanted to run a marathon, and Dana-Farber is a great cause! Most of us have been affected by cancer in our lives, directly or indirectly, and with my family history, I'm no exception.

What is Dana-Farber?
Dana-Farber is both a treatment center for cancer patients and a cutting-edge cancer research center. It is the parent agency of The Jimmy Fund and the Claudia Adams Barr Program. Find out all about the institute at their website.

What is the training like?
The Dana-Farber organization helps its 300 runners with training. The important thing is to slowly build up your endurance, and to include a steady mix of crosstraining with running. And you actually never run the full 26-mile distance before race day. You can see my training routine here.

How will you train through the winter?
As long as it's warmer than 15 F, I can (and will) run outside. If it's much colder than that, I will have to resort to an elliptical machine or ArcTrainer. I try to stay off the treadmill because it is much easier than outdoor running (treadmills do a lot of the work for you).

How do we know you're not lying in your training logs?
You won't know. But I will. And if I feel the need to lie about my training, then I will realize that I'm not doing what I should. It's much harder for me to skip a run if I know people are watching my training logs!

What are your goals for race day?
My first goal is to arrive at the starting line healthy. With the intense training schedule, this isn't a given! Many people get injured before marathon day. My second goal is to finish the marathon. While some people set the goal to avoid walking at any point, my coach tells me it's better to walk through the water stations. I have no firm time goal. Many people set the Oprah goal: Oprah finished in 4:29. I'd be thrilled to finish in that time! I think 5:00 is a more realistic goal for me.

Who is your training coach?
Our team training coach is Jack Fultz. He won the Boston Marathon in 1976 with a time of 2:20:19.

Can we track your progress on race day?
Yes! All runners have a computer chip in their shoe that maintains their official time. (After all, it may take several minutes after the gun for me to cross the starting line.) The Boston Marathon website allows anyone to track where I am, what my pace is, and when I'm expected to cross the finish line!

Will you run more marathons in the future?
For now, I'm going to say no. With this race, I will have met my goal. But you never know...

I heard that someone cheated by taking the subway to the finish line.
This is true! In 1980, Rosie Ruiz took the Green Line to Boston, hopped into the race and ran the final mile. She was declared the winner for several hours before they figured things out.

What if you have to go to the bathroom during the race?
It's a long race, so chances are, this will come up. Some people just go. But there are plenty of portable toilets along the way for the rest of us.

Why isn't Matt running with you?
He says it's because he's "sane". He'd rather be my training assistant.