David Rein had the respect of his entire family when he crossed the finish line at the 3:54.11 mark yesterday afternoon.
The 62-year-old Beverly native ran in his 23rd Boston Marathon, but there was something that was unique about this one. You might also say it was a bit agonizing.
"I've ran in a lot of marathons, probably somewhere around 87, some in different states," Rein said. "The biggest difference in this one was that I had a stomach virus."
Rein had been experiencing flu-like symptoms three days prior to the race and became dehydrated. The grandfather of eight had to make numerous stops throughout the course to use the restroom.
"I stopped off at mile 14, 16 and 18," Rein said. "If it wasn't for my grandkids waiting for me at the finish line, I would have given up."
Rein had nothing left in him, but managed to finish and qualify for next year's marathon. After the race, Rein and his family spent the day in Boston at Faneuil Hall and the North End.
"It was a great day, and I was happy to spend it with my family," he said.
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Junyong Pak, 33, who is listed as a Beverly resident, again posted the fastest time among North Shore runners with a 2:33.21. He was an outstanding 128th overall, 112th among males and 98th for his division. He ran at a great pace of 5:51.
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Peabody's Ron DeVoe, 60, ran Boston for the 10th straight year and 15th time overall, and he was disappointed with the results. Although his 3:49.12 was good for his age group, he was aiming for a 3:25, which would have been a personal best.
"My time was off today and I have no explanation for it," DeVoe said. "It was a very grueling course today. But that's what I love about the marathon — you just never know."
DeVoe ran a 3:29 last year and the weather was pretty much runner-friendly yesterday, so that's why he had high hopes about breaking the 3:25 barrier this time.
Age was not a negative factor, he insisted.
"It shouldn't be that much harder," DeVoe said. "On any given day, you can have a good race. I've been hitting some (Boston Marathon races) lately with 3:32 and 3:29. I mean, I blew through it last year. I was due for a slow race, and it happened today. Hey, the Red Sox have bad games, too."
The hills proved to be particularly challenging for DeVoe.
"Everybody talked about Heartbreak Hill, but that's not really the one that gets to you," he said. "There are some tough hills before you get (to Heartbreak Hill). I was thinking, 'You must be out of your mind.' But my pace was an 8:45. That's not too bad."
Boston continues to have a magnetic pull on DeVoe. There's no way he's giving it up next year or any time in the near future.
"I want to be doing it when I'm 80 years old," DeVoe said. "I'm going to do it until I can't do it anymore."
Actually, DeVoe isn't taking much of a break between marathons. He's set to run the Vermont Marathon on Memorial Day weekend next month.
"That's where I'm going to try for a personal best," he said.
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Aaron Judge, a 1998 Salem High graduate who has lived in western Massachusetts for the past eight years, reached his goal of breaking the three-hour mark.
Judge, who was running his sixth consecutive Boston Marathon, came in under three hours for the first time, crossing the line in 2:59:18.
"I usually run about 1:30 at the halfway point, then get slower. This time I was 1:20 at the halfway point and kept the pace through the hills," Judge, 31, said. "Near the end I slowed a little, but I had a few extra minutes (to break 3:00). Other years I've had muscle spasms, but this year I didn't because I think I trained harder."
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Mark Tuttle, 41, and older brother Chip Tuttle 48, both of Salem, ran in yesterday's marathon. This was Mark's fourth time running and Chip's first. Mark finished at 3:27.19, and Chip finished in 3:54.20. Both said that while the tailwind was helpful, it was hard to stay hydrated with the sun and wind.
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Christian Natale, 44, of Danvers ran in his 10th consecutive Boston Marathon and completed it in 3:58. Natale had a stress fracture this winter, but was pleasantly surprised with his finishing time, given the injury. For the past 10 years, Natale has been running for Dana-Farber, in memory of his mother, who was treated there. "This was one of the best marathons as far as the weather conditions were concerned in a long time," Natale said.
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Mike Pelletier, 68, of Salem ran in his eighth Boston Marathon and his 22nd marathon overall. This was Pelletier's first marathon in three years due to knee surgery. He ran a 4:39.09, which is quite an accomplishment.
"This wasn't my best time for Boston, but given my age and the weather conditions for training this winter, I'm very happy with it," he said.
Pelletier spent a lot of his winter downhill skiing, which he says was good for skiing, but not necessarily productive for marathon training.
"The weather conditions were excellent, and there was a nice tailwind, as well," Pelletier said.
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Kristin Santanello of Swampscott, 19, a Salem State University sophomore and the first cancer patient to ever run for the Mass. General Pediatric and Oncology team, completed her first Boston Marathon in 5:08.06. Santanello had acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was 5 years old and went through two years of chemotherapy. She's been determined to run the marathon and raise money for the cause for several years, and she followed through on that promise yesterday.
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Allison Gilgun, 24, of Salem, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma just two years ago, completed her first marathon in 5:33.51. More important, she raised a good amount of money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
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Lester J. Friedberg of Peabody, 67, ran his third Boston Marathon and completed it in 4:21.
"This was my best one," said Friedberg, an active athlete who does about three marathons a year. "I bought a new pair of Saucony Kinvara running shoes weigh only 6.7 ounces, and I think it helped take about a half-hour off my time. The normal running shoes are about 12 ounces.
"It was awesome. It was unbelievable out there," added Friedberg, who is a member of four running clubs and participates in triathlons and other events throughout the year.
