Sue George runs toward her family while passing through Wellesley. (Courtesy photo)
Travis Dery approaches the final stretch. (Photo by Amanda LaRiviere)
Randy Naylor rounds the corner onto Boylston Street. (Photo by Amanda LaRiviere
Ayer resident Jason Bu. (Photo by Jen Manell)
It was a rainy 127th Boston Marathon marking the 10-year anniversary of the marathon bombing, but that didn’t stop spectators from lining the streets and encouraging runners to finish. With fog looming over the 26.2-mile course, athletes from around the world ran in the face of periodic downpours, embracing what it means to be “Boston Strong.”
For many athletes, running toward the finish line on Boylston Street is the highlight of their experience.
“That’s where I got addicted to Boston,” said Ayer resident Jason Bui, who regularly works as a timer for races in Harvard, including the Great Harvard 4th of July Road Race. “It’s a wide avenue and you get the whole street to yourself as everyone’s screaming. Every time you take that turn, no matter how much pain you’re in, you just float to the finish.”
Bui has an extensive history with the Boston Marathon. He originally participated as a “bandit,” an informal term for unofficial runners who were not registered with the Boston Athletic Association (BAA). “I realized I should make it official because it didn’t count for anything except bragging rights with my friends at the time,” he said.
Bui has since competed in 13 consecutive Boston Marathons, with his best time of 2:45 in 2013, the year of the marathon bombings. His goal is to run a marathon in all 50 states with a finishing time under three hours.
Out of the 26,604 athletes who competed in this year’s marathon, organized by the BAA, four were from Harvard and five were from Ayer. Harvard resident Sue George completed her ninth Boston Marathon, and Bromfield alumna Kate Toll competed for her first time.
“Being a long-distance runner and growing up in Massachusetts, I’ve always been interested in running Boston,” said Toll, who currently attends the University of Minnesota as a graduate student. She decided that after finishing her undergraduate degree, she would pursue marathons as her next running challenge.
Toll trained early in the mornings as she balanced long hours of graduate research and teaching. While she found the marathon course challenging, Toll said the cheering crowds helped to push her to the finish line. “I was exhausted, but I was able to pick it up all the way down Boylston and finish very strong,” she said.
George, who finished her 27th marathon on Monday, had friends and family cheering her on throughout the route. “The rain was nasty. It was totally drenching, and then would stop for a few minutes and start again,” she said, adding that the weather conditions reminded her of the first time she ran the Marathon in 2015.
“There’s been a lot of years where I’m wiped out and almost get to the point where I can’t even see around me,” said George, explaining what it’s like to approach the final stretch of the race on Boylston Street. “This year, I was aware and was looking around—it was really cool!”
George wants to continue her Boston Marathon streak, saying, “I at least have to get to number 10 next year.”
Amanda LaRiviere is a former Harvard Press intern and occasional correspondent. She is a 2022 journalism graduate of Northeastern University.
