Marathon Monday a Time to Keep Safe

BU Today



Race security includes knowing limits when it comes to drinking
Thousands of police officers will be on guard at Monday’s Boston Marathon to protect spectators and runners, like Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa, seen on his way to a second-place finish last year. Photo by Flickr contributor Todd Van Hoosear
The 121st Boston Marathon on Monday, April 17, is sure to be a heavy drinking day, and not just for the 30,000 water-guzzling runners trying to stay hydrated. Last year, 13 BU students were transported to the hospital for extreme inebriation over the five days culminating on Marathon Monday, according to Student Health Services (SHS). Monday is Patriots Day as well, a legal holiday in Massachusetts, making it a three-day weekend for many.
In the three years before 2016, the transport numbers were 10, 7, and 4, which is why, on a typical Marathon day, “we’re getting alcohol calls by 11 a.m., noon,” says Scott Paré, acting chief of the Boston University Police Department and BU deputy director of public safety.
“Every year, there are different houses and spots with a lot of drinking going on,” agrees BUPD Captain Robert Molloy. “It’s like Mardi Gras out there.”
SHS personnel are advising students to drink responsibly during this year’s race, out of a concern arising after they conducted student interviews that yielded troubling information: some student spectators engage in all-day imbibing and watch the race from potentially dangerous venues such as rooftops and balconies, operating on the presumption that drinking is an essential part of Boston’s iconic spring ritual.
“Students can end up having a much higher blood alcohol level than on a typical weekend,” says Katharine Mooney (SPH’12), SHS wellness and prevention director, with students telling her that “hard liquor is the drink of choice on Marathon Monday” and in the days leading up to it.
SHS is aware of one student-oriented, nonalcohol ...

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