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As Race Day Nears, Boston Marathon Runners Talk Weather, Excitement

BOSTON (CBS) – As runners gathered on Boylston Street, the one topic on everyone's line was the weather.

"I'm not scared. I'm from California. I trained a lot in the rain this season. I'm not scared. I'm going to do this no matter what," said runner Mitch Oechsel.

At the starting line in Hopkinton, runners posed for pictures and talked about the weather.

"It's beautiful weather today – a little warm – but I hear it's supposed to be very rainy on Monday, so we're a little worried about that," said runner Amy Shohet.

MarathonRunners
The weekend before the Boston Marathon saw runners converging on Boston. (WBZ-TV)

At the finish line, a group of runners from Ottawa said they're ready for the weather.

"Speaking of the weather, the only worse thing from last year would be some snow on the ground. But we're from Canada, and we've done plenty of that," said runner Irene Dionne.

For the first-timers, it's all about the excitement.

"It's my first Boston – yay! I'm very excited, grateful – grateful for being here and grateful to be with my friends," said Chantal Beaudin.

And for the elite runners, it's all about mental preparation.

"The only thing that matters are the results so you block out all the outside noise. And just be really comfortable with the preparation you've done and trust yourself," said last year's women's winner Des Linden.

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