BOSTON -- How red, white and blue was the marathon this year? Even the nasal strips bore the colors of Old Glory.

Runners wore stars and stripes on their bandanas, hats and shorts, and some even carried American flags as they ran.

Two oversized U.S. flags hung near the starting line, and the Hopkinton High School band played the national anthem, while state police Sgt. Dan Clark sang.

At the finish, four 45-foot-by-90-foot U.S. flags were unfurled on Boylston Street in Boston's Back Bay.

Tough viewing
A low cloud cover initially grounded the media helicopters that traditionally provide television viewers with overhead shots of the race leaders.

The helicopters relay signals from the vehicles that drive just ahead of the pack of top runners.

Three helicopters had to wait until 12:20 p.m., 20 minutes after the start of the race, and a flyover of F-15s scheduled for the race start was canceled because the jets could not take off from Otis Air Force Base.

For a good cause
The Boston Marathon has long been a popular event for groups raising money to fight disease.

Members of one such group, "Team Griffin's Friends," have been lacing up since 1995. The team is named for Griffin Kelleher, who died of liver cancer when he was 14 months old, and includes 75 runners from the Springfield area who raise money for child cancer patients.

A group of the children planned a cheering section at Mile 24.

"It's a big boost, and by the time you reach Mile 24 you need it," said Sean Gouvin, of Monson. "The last couple miles are easy after that."

Tim Kelleher, Griffin's cousin and one of the group's founders, said: "They're cheering for us -- it should be the other way around."

Making a statement
Standing out in a crowd of 17,000 runners isn't easy, but a few marathoners managed to do just that.

One wore bunny ears. Another sported balloon animals on his head. Some wore tuxedo jackets, including at least one with a top hat and tails.

And then there was Jason Boudreau, a Suffolk University student who ran in a furry, rubber-faced, bright pink gorilla suit. It was his third marathon in the suit, he said.

"It's not hard at all," he said. "I get energy from the crowd, like everyone."

Notes
Many marathoners had their names on their shirts, so spectators could cheer for them by name. One entrant's shirt simply said, "Yell at me." ... Stephen Cronin, a Framingham police officer, ran wearing a T-shirt with a message for criminals: "If you can't run a marathon, don't run from us," it said. ... Nearly 17,000 runners competed, but it was a non-runner whom race officials had trouble finding just before the race began. "Attention, Senator (John) Kerry, would you please return to the starting platform?" came the announcement over the public address system in Hopkinton. The Massachusetts Democrat was the honorary starter for the wheelchair race.