By Kerri Roche/Daily News staff
Daily News Tribune

Posted Apr 18, 2008 @ 12:48 AM
Last update Apr 18, 2008 @ 12:56 AM

Peter MacGlashing, 36, has never seen the Boston Marathon.

"I've lived here my whole life and I've never seen it," said the Waltham resident.

But this year, MacGlashing has a backstage pass to the country's oldest marathon.

As a driver for Limousine 18, MacGlashing is assigned to provide any and all transportation for Spyros Zagaris, the mayor of Marathon, Greece. For over 15 years, Limousine 18 has driven the organizers and athletes throughout the week leading up to the Marathon.

He picked up Zagaris and the Marathon lantern at Logan Airport yesterday. The lantern, which was lit by the eternal flame in Greece, will be used to light the Boston Marathon torch.

"He's very friendly, very cordial," said MacGlashing of the Greek mayor.

Shuttling Zagaris and the historical symbol of Boston's 112-year-old race to the starting line in Hopkinton was surreal, said MacGlashing yesterday as he stood outside the State House, where Zagaris and the lantern were scheduled to visit.

"We pulled up and they took a ton of pictures at the start line. They just took pictures everywhere," said MacGlashing. "They went about a mile down the road and took some more pictures."

MacGlashing said he will also get to witness another photo opportunity when the elite athletes participate in a one-mile run today. Passing the lantern from one athlete to another, the short run will end at the Hopkinton Police Station where a lantern outside the headquarters is ceremoniously lit.

Although he'll technically be on the clock Monday morning, because he is responsible for the Zagaris and the lantern, the full-time limousine driver of 15 years will get to watch his first Boston Marathon from the starting line, he said.

"It's absolutely amazing to see all the preparation going into it," said MacGlashing.
For many of the volunteers and non-running participants of the Boston Marathon, most of the preparation MacGlashing spoke of has been in the works for months.

Just ask Newton resident Fred Treseler. As the founder of Tracs Inc., Treseler has trained and organized the many volunteers and elite athletes on the Marathon route and at the John Hancock Athlete Village in

Boston for the past 23 years.However, Treseler, 55, said his deep Marathon ties have prepared him for a life of global sports marketing and event preparation.Growing up in West Roxbury, his parents and eight siblings made the trek to Heartbreak Hill in Newton every year.

"My introduction to the sport was being brought there by my parents for a kind of picnic type of thing every April," said Treseler.

He now owns a house at the top of Heartbreak Hill and has coached people to over 3,000 Boston Marathon finishes.

Although Treseler described himself as a short-distance runner, he was prepared to run the Boston Marathon 26 years ago.

"But my wife found out her due date was on marathon day and my son Frederick was born on the marathon on April 21, 26 years ago," said Treseler.

This year, to celebrate his 26-year mark, Frederick will be running the 26.2 miles.

"The Boston Marathon, having grown up with it here ... it's more than an athletic event.

It's more than a special event. There's an emotional connection to this amazing event that transcends sports. It's phenomenal," said Treseler.

Treseler said the spirit of the Boston Marathon begins with the volunteers who greet the elite athletes at the airport and oversee their stay at the eight-story athlete village.

"They're amazing. They totally understand the fact that they represent the city of
Boston, that they represent the event, that they represent the sponsor. They do
everything they can to support the athlete and coaches as they make their final
preparations," said Treseler, who runs through every possible scenario the athletes could encounter with his volunteer trainees.

The success of the Boston Marathon, he said, relies on volunteers who make certain the top-ranked athletes only have to focus on their training once they arrive.
The individuals responsible for that success come from all walks of life, said Treseler. One of those individuals is Waltham resident Peggy Stevens.

Serving the Boston Marathon six times in seven years, Stevens, 59, like many others, has previously used vacation time or volunteered at night after work.

She began her volunteering days as a "village host." She was assigned an athlete to meet at Logan Airport and eventually escort to the starting line in Hopkinton.

"The first year I was a host I happen to escort the third place woman - a woman from Ethiopia," said Stevens.

Now a coordinator, Stevens oversees the other hosts and the specific tasks they are assigned to, such as arranging for transportation to and from training facilities. This year, she is working 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the week leading up to the race. Because of the demanding schedule, Stevens received accommodations and meals courtesy of John Hancock.

"I must say that they are very appreciative of all the volunteer hours that are
contributed," said Stevens.

Stevens said she is not a runner, but was drawn to the volunteer work through a friend. So far, her fondest memory has not come from the personal contact she's had with athletes and the behind-the-scenes action of marathon planning.

"There was a year we had some American women in the elite athlete group. Even though none of them finished in the number one place, all of them finished in the top 10. It was heart-bursting to see my country's woman right there at the finish line and being at the top echelon of runners," said Stevens.

Kerri Roche can be reached at kroche@cnc.com or 781-398-8009.