Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 Local runners shine as Boston Marathon returns in full glory after two-year absence on Patriots Day Nearly 40 residents of our readership area fi nished 126th running of race; complete list is inside Touching moment shared by many when brother of 2013 Marathon bombing victim runs race for fi rst time By Steve Freker M ore than 25,000 runners from all over the world — representing 120 countries and all 50 states — descended onto the hallowed Boston Marathon race course Monday to participate in the triumphant return of the famed event to its traditional Patriot’s Day spot on the calendar. Included among them were over 40 local residents, most of them fi nishing the 26.2-mile race in fi ne fashion under sunny skies and cool temperatures. It was the fi rst time the full Boston Marathon was run on Patriot’s Day since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 race was cancelled shortly after the pandemic was declared worldwide in midMarch of that year. The 2021 Boston Marathon last April also axed due to the pandemic, though a smaller, 125th Boston Marathon was run on Columbus Day in October 2021. On Patriot’s Day Monday there was no question when the 126th Boston Marathon began that the iconic race was back in business, in all of its glory. Under sunny skies and cool temperatures in the mid-toupper 40s, slightly more than 30,000 official runners set off in timed waves from the start in Hopkinton to the finish in downtown Boston. RUNNING FOR MARTIN & JANE: Henry Richard, the 20-yearold brother of the late Martin Richard, who was the youngest victim of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing at age 8, ran the Marathon on Monday in honor of his late brother and the rest of his family, eleven of whom suff ered injuries in the bombing attack. (Courtesy Photo) Both races had close fi nishes, HAPPIER TIMES: Shown above, about two years before the 2013 Marathon Bombing, the Richards family, clockwise from lower right: Martin, who died in the Boston Marathon bombing April 15, 2013; Jane, who lost her left leg; Henry, who ran the 2022 Boston Marathon in his brother and sister’s honor; mom Denise, who was blinded in one eye; and dad Bill, whose ear drums were punctured. (Courtesy/ZUMAPress.com) Once again, for the fi rst time since 2019, the Kenyans and Ethiopians jockeyed for the top spot in both the Men’s and Women’s marathons, with two citizens of Kenya fi nishing on top. In the Men’s Race, Evans Chebet of Kenya was the winner, with an impressive time of 2:06:51. For the Women, fellow Kenyan Peres Jerchirchir was the victor, with a time of 2:21.01. the Women’s Race nearly a photo fi nish as the runner-up, Ababel Yeshenah of Ethiopia, came in just four seconds behind Jerchirchir with a 2:21:05. Two other Kenyans fi nished third and fourth respectively. An especially touching moment on Marathon Monday took place at the fi nish line for Henry Richard, of Boston, who was running his first Boston Marathon. Richard, 20, is a college student and the brother of the late Martin Richard, who was killed in the 2013 Marathon bombing tragedy. At only eight years old, Martin was the youngest victim that fateful Marathon Monday. A younger sister, Jane, now 16 years old, lost a leg in the tragic bombing. Henry Richard carried both his late brother and sister with him during the race, with Martin’s name etched in marker on his right arm and Jane’s name emblazoned on his chest inside his shirt. Henry was also at the bombing scene on Patriot’s Day, 2013, just 11 years old, but emerged from the tragedy with just cuts and bruises. “I know Martin was with me during the race,” Henry told reporters afterward, pledging to continue to run the Boston Marathon next year in #127, in 2023, and thereafter in his family’s honor. Locally, in the Advocate readAND THE WINNERS ARE!: The fi rst wave of runners of the 126th Boston Marathon cross the fi nish line on Monday. (Courtesy Photo) ership area of Everett, Malden, Revere and Saugus, nearly 40 residents combined from the four communities participated in the Marathon on Monday, most of them able to fi nish the 26.2 mile race. The top male and overall fi nisher in Everett was David Pirman, 39, with a time of 4:15:59. Everett’s top female fi nisher was Alexandra Cordoba, 28, at 4:36:47. The top male and overall fi nisher in Malden was also a fi rsttime Boston Marathon participant. Patrick Mangan, 30, fi nished at 3:15:56, 6,069th overall and in the top 25% overall, an impressive accomplishment in his fi rst attempt. Nora Gozzo, 29, was Malden’s top female finisher at 3:30:20. Anayo Osueke, 41, was the top male fi nisher for Revere at 3:03:15, in the 15% at 3,888th overall. Connor Holland, 23, was the top female fi nisher in Revere at 4:12:36. For Saugus, Chris Hancock, 48, (3:16:25) was the top male finisher and the top female Marathon fi nisher was Casey Hyde, 27, at 3:20:05. 126th BOSTON MARATHON SAUGUS FINISHERS Chris Hancock (3:16:25) Casey Hyde (3:20:05) Peter Prunty (4:04:51) Kristin Verrette (4:09:11) Robert Favuzza, Jr. (4:17:50) Robert Favuzza (4:17:50) Haley Erickson (4:22:18) Thomas Vitiello (4:29:49) Bobby Taylor (4:33:03) Nora Desrosiers (4:45:50) Kristi Taylor (4:52:15) Bob Catinazzo (5:29:01) Gina Spaziani (5:30:09) Nasser Buisier (5:38:06) Dan Jones (5:46:57) Brenda Iafrate (5:49:39)
13 Publizr Home