The temperature, moderate. The sky, slightly cloudy. The crowds, massive.
In other words, a near-perfect day for the Boston Marathon.
“Great environment, lots of fun, you couldn’t ask for a better day,” said Jerik Embleton of Eugene, Oregon, who posted a personal record marathon time of just under 2:30. “I’ve blown up a couple of marathons, but this is the first one I actually ran all 26 miles and didn’t have to walk it in.”
Nonetheless, Embleton said everything was sore from the waist down.
“So we’ll be walking slowly through the rest of the day and maybe the rest of the week,” he said. “But fun to have a good PR out of the day.”
Soreness seemed the common denominator for those who finished the race.
“I feel really sore,” said Arianna Maida, a physician’s assistant who ran the race on behalf of Dana-Farber. “I think I gave it my all. I’m really done right now.”
Maida’s time: a blazing 2:42.
David DeFelice of Boston said he had some moments of doubt during the race.
“Between the second and third hill in Newton, I definitely had a couple of questions going on in my mind,” he said. “Just general pain, a little bit of cramping in the stomach as well. Your whole body hurts at that point.”
DeFelice said trusting in the training was key to getting through those tough times on the hills.
“Pacing myself, not pushing too hard early and saving a little bit of energy for the end,” he said.
John Pierce of Portland, Oregon said pretty much every runner gets to a point during a marathon when doubts creep in. For him it happened at Mile 25.
“With about a mile to go I said, maybe I should just stop,” he said. “But no. With an atmosphere like this you kind of keep going, keep pushing and the crowd carries you in.”
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