By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

The buzz has already begun on Boylston Street as the Boston Marathon is officially underway. Fans peppered the streets of the Back Bay early on this chilly morning to get a jump on the prime views of the finish line.

It was a brisk 45 degrees with a 17 mile-per-hour wind blowing down Boylston at 9:20, but temperatures are quickly on the rise.

"This is normal weather for us," said the head of the Croney family (right) that traveled from Cornwall, Ontario, to see 44-year-old Rick Croney run in his first Boston Marathon. "We got out here at 8 a.m. to get a good spot, and we hope to catch him as he crosses the line."

A couple of women from the Pittsburgh area met randomly on the street and locked into a good position to see their husbands finish the run.

"We just met by chance, and now I have a new friend," said Libby Prather (left) who came in from Meadville, Pa., to see 45-year-old Ross Prather turn the corner at Hereford Street.

Gail Stairs (right) from Greensburg, Pa., came in from Steeler country to see her husband, 57-year-old Roger Stairs, complete the course as a first-time qualifier.

"I've been wearing my Penguins shirt, and my Pirates hat all weekend, too," Stairs said. "But the people around here have been very nice."