Emma Hardman ran a personal best marathon time to lead North Alabama finishers Monday morning in the 129th Boston Marathon.
Hardman, 28, of Huntsville, finished the historic race in 2:46:13. She won the Rocket City Marathon women’s title last December. Patrick Mills, 28, of Huntsville, was the top male finisher, crossing in 3:03:02.
Alabama had 86 finishers, which was more than last year. Other area runners among the state’s Top 25 finishers:
— Tay Cavett, Huntsville, 3:08:26
— Megan Lehr, Huntsville, 3:10:23
— Malia Gill, Madison, 3:12:59
— Jason Betts, Owens Cross Roads, 3:13:31
— Adam Panagos, Madison, 3:14:44
See all of the Alabama runners’ results here. See all of the Tennessee results here, too.
Ford Among Top 10
Ryan Ford of Huntsville was one of three American men to finish in the Top 10, with the former Westminster Christian Academy grad grabbing the 10th spot.
Ford finished in 2:08, posting a half-marathon time of 1:03:42. He joined Americans Connor Mantz (4th, 2:05:08) and Clayton Young (7th, 2:07:04) among the leaders.
Ford was a four-year standout at UT Martin, earning numerous acolades and titles. He had a stellar high school career at WCA. Ford won the 2015 Alabama championship, was All-State all four years, and won Class 4A state titles in the 1600m and 3200m events. He helped WCA to the 2013 state title, and had consecutive state runner-up titles as a sophomore and junior.
About the Marathon
The Boston Marathon, presented by Bank of America, is one of the six major world marathons that includes Tokyo, New York, Chicago, Berlin and London.
The Boston Marathon is the oldest, founded in 1897, with a historic route. Along it runners find familiar names such as Hopkinton, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Heartbreak Hill, Brookline and Boylston Street. The finish is downtown near Copley Square. The race is facilitated by the Boston Athletic Association (BAA).
Other associated BAA events include a 5K, 10K and Half, Distance Medley, Invitational Mile and Mayor’s Cup Cross Country event. This year’s event included a mix of speed, siblings and sentiment.
Highlights
Speed: Sharon Lokedi of Kenya held off a late move by two-time defending champion Hellen Obiri to break the tape in 2:17:22, obliterating the course record of 2:19:59 set in 2014. Runner-up Obiri (2:17:41) and third-place finisher Yalemzerf Yehualaw of Ethiopia (2:18:06) all finished under the old record.
In the lead pack all the way was Conner Mantz. He helped blast the pack to a 4:32 first mile, setting the stage for a fast race. Mantz broke the American record in the half marathon a few months ago. He came within one spot of the podium after a three-way sprint down Boylston against runner-up Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania (2:05:04), third place CyBrian Kotut of Kenya (2:05:04).
Mantz’s time of 2:05:08 was the second-fastest time by an American in race history.
Siblings: Kenya’s John Korir, whose brother Wesley won here in 2012, laid waste to a pack of six when he took off at 20 miles, winning in 2:04:45 – the second-fastest winning time in race history.
Sentiment: 2018 champion Des Linden, via Instagram and a full-page ad in the Boston Globe, announced Monday morning that this would be her last professional marathon. The 41-year-old went on to finish in 2:26:19. It was her fastest time in eight years. She won the master’s division and finished 17th among all pro women.
Marathon day began with a nod to the 250th anniversary of Patriots’ Day. Paul Revere and the National Lancers proclaimed the runners were coming, making their way down course from Hopkinton. They were quickly followed by a legendary tandem serving as Grand Marshals, 1975 champions Bob Hall and Bill Rodgers.
A total of 28,928 athletes started the race.
