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128th Boston Marathon: Naples resident Larry Rawson set to broadcast his 50th race in Boston

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128th Boston Marathon: Naples resident Larry Rawson set to broadcast his 50th race in Boston


It all started in 1974 as a serendipitous ‘fact-checking’ moment at the finish line of the Boston Marathon during the infancy of its broadcast days. Yet 50 years later broadcaster Larry Rawson – The Voice of the Boston Marathon – will reach an extraordinary milestone today.

But when you’ve grown up in the shadows of the famous Newton Hills and attended Boston College, where else would you spend Patriots Day, also known as Marathon Monday, as the eyes, ears, and voice of the 128-year-old event?

For Rawson, a longtime Naples resident, the lead-up to his 50th year broadcasting the Boston Marathon is a “true pinch me” moment.

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2024 Boston Marathon: Using various paths, Southwest Florida runners ready to tackle 128th Boston Marathon

“I’m excited because it’s 50. I really am” Rawson said. “I admit it’s a big number and it’s a privilege to have been so deeply involved in such an iconic event for so long.

“I mean, in our country, to be perfectly honest with you, it’s hard to last a long time in broadcasting, especially television, and I’m grateful that the audiences, ESPN, and my fellow commentators have stuck with me and have continued to want to listen to me and to work with me and to the work I put in.”

As he’s done for most of the previous 49 broadcasts, initially for radio and various television networks including ESPN since 1976, he arrived in Boston five days before the race.

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Although Larry is a fixture of the Boston Marathon, he says the focus should always be on the 30,000 runners, officials, volunteers, civic officials, and spectators who will always be the heart and soul of the event.

“It’s not about me – it’s never been about me, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I’ve always said, ‘I’m like the doctor trying to deliver a healthy baby on the day of the event.’ The passion for the marathon, Boston and sharing athletes’ stories is still there, the hunger to share stories on air and to bring insights is still there. It’s always been this way – it’s just the way I am.

“As for being able to recall stats and facts and find a few ‘wow’ moments, that’s not something I ‘train for’ as such. I certainly prepare and do a lot of research and homework before any event that I broadcast, but I’ve always been a math guy. Stuff just sticks in my brain.”

A former star miler at Boston College, he became an accidental broadcaster in 1974 when he felt compelled to correct factual errors being broadcast about Irish-born race leader Neil Cusack. The hapless engineer turned rookie commentator at the finish line and suddenly had a microphone thrust under his nose and could competently fill a 45-minute radio slot with local knowledge and general distance running and training insights.

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That led to becoming a ‘real broadcaster’ in 1975 when he found himself in the back seat of a Rolls Royce between the media truck and the lead pack, calling the race for radio as a little-known local runner named Bill Rodgers burst from obscurity for his first of four Boston victories.

“Larry has always been one of the most informed broadcasters of marathon coverage in the US,” Rodgers said. “In the early days of Boston broadcasting, the locals didn’t know much about marathons, especially those involved in the TV coverage. Thank God we had Larry Rawson to reach the public in an intelligent and insightful way.”

While many things have changed about how and where he does his commentary, there seems to be one constant for the man himself: a wonder and admiration in everything that is Boston Marathon and more broadly, athletics. For Rawson, it appears almost as if he’s like a young child seeing the event for the first time. It keeps him energized.

Whether it’s the Boston, New York, or Chicago marathons (he’s called a total of 113 World Marathon Majors), the summer Olympics (of which he’s called seven) or 50 years of NCAA meets, Larry still seems to keep his mind and eyes fresh and fascinating, which he hopes is reflected in his commentary of every event. 

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“Larry is excellent at what he does and has been great for keeping our sport available, accessible, and relevant to our ‘fringe fans and spectators’, those who might not know the history and backgrounds to current athletes, especially the Kenyans and Ethiopians,” said 1976 Boston Marathon winner Jack Fultz. “We always catch up for a chat at Boston every year and I’m looking forward to doing that again in 2024.”

Ian Eckersley is a runner/writer from Australia. Ian is a long-time Boston Marathon aficionado, two-time Boston Marathon finisher, and former television sports broadcaster.



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Boston, MA

Saturday storm will bring bursts of rain, strong winds, and… snow?

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Saturday storm will bring bursts of rain, strong winds, and… snow?


Surprise: Another weekend and there’s more rain on the way. It’s bad enough we’ve had to post a First Alert.

For now, we’ll watch as clouds thicken today. We’ll squeeze out some drops later this afternoon and evening.

A weather maker is winding up in Canada, wrapping in cold air. All of that is going to dive down to New England.

We’re in the thick of it tomorrow. Rain will be coming at us in bursts with some dry time in between. Winds will likely push past 50 mph in Boston.

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Those winds will eat away at temperatures; with wind chills barely above freezing. And no – not just in the morning – but the afternoon, too!

It’s so cold there’s the threat of snow as that rain bumps into colder air over the Berkshires, Worcester Hills and southern New Hampshire right up to Mount Washington.

The snow isn’t going to pile up but just know there could be some flakes flying over our highest hills.  

The blue on our Futurecast map marks the spots where snow could mix with rain.

Rain spins out by Saturday evening but not before dumping about half an inch over Boston.

We’ll try to salvage the rest of the weekend with temperatures in the upper 60s by Sunday. Still, there’s the threat of bits and pieces of rain.

By the way, this isn’t any weekend, it’s the last weekend of spring. Meteorological summer starts on June 1.

The first day of summer remains drab and dreary with more rain chances and temperatures in the low 60 on Monday.

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House GOP demands ‘sanctuary city’ info from Boston law enforcement

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House GOP demands ‘sanctuary city’ info from Boston law enforcement


Federal immigration demands are once again centered on Massachusetts.

The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday sent three letters to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden demanding, among other things, information on how many ICE detainers BPD has received and declined to honor from 2022 to 2026 and any communication between the three departments related to immigration.

House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a statement that “releasing repeat criminals back to the streets solely because of their immigration status is crazy, and that’s exactly what Boston is doing.”

But Democrats push back on that framing.

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“You’re familiar with Jim Jordan and his antics,” said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey. “This is more circus, it’s more theater and it’s not making our community safe.”

A spokesperson for the City of Boston wrote, “the city has provided this information many times…” going on to say “…these policies are part of keeping Boston the safest major city in America.”

The letters call for the documents to be sent to the House Judiciary Committee by June 10th at 5:00 pm. District Attorney Hayden’s office told NBC 10 they are reviewing the letter, neither Commissioner Cox or Sheriff Tompkins responded to requests for comment.



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A look inside Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay condo, listed for $2.6m

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A look inside Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay condo, listed for .6m


On the Market

Ted Kennedy Jr. speaks on the importance of his late mother’s Boston home, now for sale.

250 Beacon St. #10 is on the market for $2.59 million. Surette Media Group

At first glance, Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay home may not appear all that unusual, but the endless stories held within its walls illustrate how a sacred space became one woman’s shelter from the storm.

After divorcing Ted Kennedy in 1982, Bennett Kennedy returned to Boston and moved into 250 Beacon St. #10, and remained there for more than four decades until her death at age 89 in October. Now, her three-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which measures 2,075 square feet, is on the market at $2.59 million.

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“Her home really played an important part in the transformation of her life,” her son, Ted Kennedy Jr., told the Globe. “She was a newly divorced woman coming back, trying to reestablish her roots in Boston, and she had her music, which was part of her unique identity, apart from being married to my father. She was seeking to reinvent herself and live on her own terms.”

A hallway inside the 2,075-square-foot condo. – Surette Media Group

It was there at 250 Beacon where Bennett Kennedy restarted her life. She earned a master’s degree in music education at 44, and became a staple on the Boston classical music scene, thanks to her lifelong dedication to the piano. But it was also where she faced significant struggles, ranging from depression to alcoholism. She didn’t hide her battles at a time when they weren’t commonly discussed.

“She paved the way for many other women who were suffering in silence,” said Kennedy Jr. “The Boston community just took her in and provided her with friendship and support.”

The circa-1925 building features an elegant lobby that leads to the elevators. Inside the fifth-floor unit, a foyer flows into a hallway and into the spacious living room, where hardwood floors run throughout and a wood-burning fireplace sits under a unique carved mantel surrounded by marble. But it’s the windows that capture the eyes, with views of the treetops and the Charles River in the distance.

Large windows bring in natural light and look out to the city. – Surette Media Group
Joan Bennett Kennedy was an avid pianist. – Surette Media Group
The living room fireplace has a marble surround. – Surette Media Group

“She would sit at her piano in the condo every afternoon for hours,” said Kennedy, who noted that the home later served as the spot where his mother penned “The Joy of Classical Music,” a guide for introducing classical music to families. Prominent musical figures, including John Williams, Seiji Ozawa, and Arthur Fiedler, were frequent guests.

The open floor plan continues in the dining area and library, filled with built-in bookcases and oversized windows.

The space has built-in storage and shelving throughout. – Surette Media Group

The living room fireplace is two-sided; on its opposite side is the primary bedroom suite, with built-in bookshelves and a massive bay window with beautiful views. The primary suite features an en-suite bathroom with a pink vanity.

The primary bathroom with its pink vanity. – Surette Media Group

“These front rooms, all three of them, the amount of glass and the size of these windows are just magnificent,” said Linda Barrett of Douglas Elliman, who has the listing and knew Kennedy for years. “Being on the fifth floor, she sat right at the tree line, looking at the Charles River.”

A second of three full bathrooms has elegant marble tiles and a step-in shower. Across the hallway are two closets for storage and the galley kitchen with green/blue cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.

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The kitchen is galley style. – Surette Media Group
One of three bedrooms. – Surette Media Group

There are three bedrooms, one with teal carpeting and ample built-in storage.

The home has central air, and the building has a live-in superintendent. The fee is $1,725.39 per month. The piano is not included as part of the sale.


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Megan Johnson

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Megan Johnson is a Boston-based writer and reporter whose work appears in People, Architectural Digest, The Boston Globe, and more.





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