This time, everybody finished the race.
A handful of Semiahmoo Peninsula runners took part in Monday’s Boston Marathon, and unlike last year – which saw the race cut short due to the tragic finish-line bombings – all were able to cross the finish line.
Marc Fontaine, 59, was the first South Surrey runner to finish the race, crossing the finish line on Boston’s famous Boylston Avenue in a time of three hours, 19 minutes and 47 seconds.
He ran the 26-mile (42 km) route at a 7:38 pace-per-mile, and was 130th in his age/gender division.
Next to cross the line was Bert Van Donkersgoed, 46, who finished the race in 3:36:04.
Dee Makepeace, 49, was the fastest Peninsula woman on the course, finishing the run in 3:55:42.
Other local finishers included 66-year-old Ray Baker, who finished in 4:01:17; Al Benson, 61, who clocked a time of 4:08:39; Linda Garrett, 56, who was a minute behind Benson in 4:09:57; Lynne Spence, 67, who was 25th overall in her age division with a 4:28:27 run; Gayle Robinson, 66, who was 30th in the same division with a time of 4:32:18; and Ian Herron, 67, who finished in 4:56:04.
The overall marathon title was won by American Olympic distance runner Meb Keflezighi, who finished in 2:08:37, in so doing becoming the first U.S. winner of the marathon since 1983.
More than 36,000 runners took part in the race this year, up from about 25,000 in 2013.
The field was boosted for this year’s event due to high demand, as runners – and spectators, too – showed an increased interest in the event after last year’s tragic bombings that killed three and injured hundreds.
At the time of the bombings, thousands of runners – including some from Surrey and White Rock –had yet to cross the finish line.
Baker, for instance, was about 200-m from the finish line when the first explosion happened.
