Have you ever been on the Boston College Green line thinking, I could run faster than this train right now? Well, this is a challenge that has been attempted many times before. High school cross country teams, college club teams and local running groups have all have tried to see if they have what it takes to beat the B Line, man versus machine.

Depending on the time of the day, and the time of the year, the T can really vary in speed due to traffic, stops at traffic lights and the number of times it breaks down. The 4.2-mile trek from Boston College station to Kenmore takes about 32 minutes. That ends up being 7:37 pace per mile. But just like the T, we have to stop at traffic lights as well. Some attempt to go all the way to Park Street for the 6 mile trek. If doing so, runners will lose sight of the train underground at Blandford Street at about 4 miles and have to keep running, blind of the competition. When arriving at the Park Street T stop, you have to run down the run down the stairs underground to see who got their first.

July 20th, 2023, an Instagram account was started called @rundirtywater, where they advertised an unsanctioned urban race from Boston College T station all the way to Park Street. They posted a lot on their account, stories, etc., to build the hype for the race. They even made an Eventbrite for it where the race fees cost $2.40, the cost of a one-way train. They had funny memes and videos about walking up to the start line to embarrass the T, how confused the conductor will be and making fun of the T being 126 years old. They informed everyone via Eventbrite and Instagram to get there for 6:30 for a 7pm race on Friday night, September 8th, 2023. 

So on September 8th, I participated. Thirty five people lined up next to the T, on either side of the street at Boston College and the T went off at 7:06. It was flying and I knew I had to start out fast, with the rolling hills along Commonwealth Avenue, to be able to keep it in view. I ran 6:30 pace for the beginning and then the last 3 set into a pace around 7:25. Running down Commonwealth ave through packard's corner, past Boston University, through the mall of commonwealth ave shooting for the public garden. Then it seemed everyone took a differnet route through the public garden and Boston Common to get to Park Street station. I didn’t realize early on that I passed the T and I thought it was in front of me the whole time. This helped me run faster thinking I could pass it while it was underground but turns out I had beat it by just under 4 minutes. I had run 43:48 with an average pace of 7:17, including time stopping at traffic lights. 4 Minutes later, the T clocked in a time of 47 minutes and 38 seconds.
Out of 35 people that participated in this event, 9 were able to beat the B line. The 9 Pictured Below on the @rundirtywater Instagram. We all clapped for everyone that finished the race and went to the Beantown pub to celebrate! This will hopefully be an annual event because it was a lot of fun. 

Would you accept the Charlie card challenge and try to beat the B line?