“I remember climbing all these steps and being super sore before my race,” said Hall. “My quads were trashed.”

Consider it a rookie mistake for the runner who, several years later, set a personal best of 2 hours 4 minutes and 58 seconds at the 2011 Boston Marathon. Hall has become a familiar sight on Patriots Day, striding from Hopkinton to Boston in contention for the marathon title. Before being sidelined by injury, Hall planned to compete in this year’s race. But he will be back in the Hub because, like many of his fellow elite marathoners, Hall loves running the marathon and spending time in the city. And when he returns, he hopes to hit more historic sites.

This weekend, the city welcomed roughly 27,000 marathon runners along with their families and friends. That number includes the 32 runners who fill the men’s and women’s elite fields. While the race is essentially a business trip for those most fleet-footed marathoners, that doesn’t keep the elites from exploring the area and building wish lists of places they want to visit when they come back for other races and training.

Not surprisingly, the Charles River is the most popular attraction for top marathoners, letting them train and get a sense of the city. Many venture from Back Bay to Harvard on their runs, impressed by all the activity on the water and on the bike paths along its banks. You might see defending women’s champion Sharon Cherop speeding by on the bike paths. She said it’s one of her favorite places to run, besides the marathon route, of course.

“As professional athletes, we’re there to compete and our experiences are very different than the average person,” said Jason Hartmann, who finished fourth last year and is back in the elite field this year. “We’re flown in to race, so we don’t get the luxury of a lot of time to sightsee. But one of the things I really like is the Charles River, the environment around the river. Last year, the day before the marathon, there was a race just along the paths. That was cool to see, along with the rowers.”

Added Hall: “I loved how running is such a part of the culture in Boston, seeing all the runners out. I feel like running is a big deal there, more so than in other cities I’ve been to before. . . . As a West Coaster, I get a bit of the East Coast vibe running along the river. It feels so different from anything over here [in California]. I’d recommend doing a run from Harvard along the river and checking out the campuses on the river.”

Given its proximity to the finish line and the hotels where elite runners stay, Back Bay is another area popular with the fastest in the field. Like tourists and locals, two-time Olympian Kara Goucher, who finished third in the 2009 Boston Marathon and set a personal best of 2:24:52 in the 2011 race, enjoys getting a bite to eat with friends and shopping on Newbury and Boylston streets. “I love how it feels quaint, but it’s a big city,” said Goucher. “You can’t go wrong with any restaurant.”

Meb Keflezighi, marathon silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics and third place finisher in the 2006 Boston Marathon, goes for ethnic food. “When I’m doing appearances and not racing, I love eating Indian and Thai food on Newbury Street,” he said. “If I am there for a longer stay after a race, then look for me in a spicy food restaurant.” Keflezighi planned to race Monday, but an injury forced him to withdraw and miss any post-race spicy treats. On one of his first trips to Boston, Keflezighi also made the popular tourist trek to the original Cheers bar. It was a show he watched growing up while adjusting to US culture as an immigrant from the African nation of Eritrea. To get a taste of his home country, Ethiopian Olympian Gebre Gebremariam heads to the Addis Red Sea Restaurant on Tremont Street.