The Bach Road to Boston

In the spring of 2002, teacher and author Bill Mares sang Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and ran the Boston Marathon in a period of 27 hours. The two events were culminations, as it were, of his life-long hobbies of singing and running. In the beginning they seemed so different, Bach and Boston. But then like Escher’s tessellations, they began to merge.

For Mares, neither endeavor was competitive. The cellist’ Yo-Yo-Ma’s remark on music applied equally to my running: The reason for playing music is not to compare yourself with anyone, but to bring forth what is inside you.

The book is a long rumination of contrasting emotions- his religious faith tied up in the music vs. the guilt running’s self-indulgence. It includes his singing history, including a college music tour of the Far East, and his score of marathons over a score of years. His musical and running buddies are legion. In his duel three months’s trainings, the reader shares his preparations, obstacles and ultimate performances, and is inspired to consider the intertwined significance of religion, music, athleticism, teaching and friendship.