Ron Peck didn’t sugarcoat a thing as he drove home to Waterville from running Monday’s Boston Marathon.
“That had to be the toughest conditions I’ve ever done a race,” Peck, a biology professor at Colby College, said. “It felt like the wind was in your face the whole way.”
Peck was joined by Bruce Maxwell, a computer science professor at Colby, who echoed Peck’s sentiments.
“That was the toughest thing I’ve ever done voluntarily,” Maxwell, of Pittsfield, said.
Steady rain and cold temperatures challenged runners in Monday’s Boston Marathon, from the starting line in Hopkintin to the finish at Copley Square. Peck finished the 26.2 mile race in 3:10.42. Maxwell crossed the finish line in 3:35.25.
Johanna Stickney of West Gardiner ran her third Boston Marathon. Stickney described the conditions as “intense.”
“By mile four, my shoes were completely soaked through,” Stickney said.
She completed the race in 3:26.46, maintaining a pace between seven and a half and eight minutes per mile for most of the course.
This was Peck’s fourth Boston Marathon, running in each since 2015. For Maxwell, this was the eighth Boston Marathon. Maxwell said the conditions Monday made running difficult, but he did better than in 2012, when temperatures in the mid and upper 80s proved to be a challenge.
“In 2012 I did a much worse time. I was about 25 minutes slower (than this year),” Maxwell said.
Rain alternated between a drizzle and a downpour, and never let up, Peck and Maxwell said.
“You just wanted to finish and put on dry clothes and warm up,” Peck said.
Despite the miserable running conditions, Peck averaged more than eight miles per hour for most of the race. Maxwell was able to keep a pace just over seven miles per hour for most of the course. Like so many runners, Peck and Maxwell slowed around miles 20 to 21, through the Newton hills and the more famous Heartbreak Hill.
“The famous one is Heartbreak Hill, but those others are longer and taller,” Peck said. “I didn’t want to have to walk the last eight miles.”
Added Maxwell: “When you get around mile 22, 23, you can start to feel the finish.”
For Stickney, the tough portion of the race always seems to come early, regardless of the conditions. Thinking about friends who were unable to run the Marathon helped Stickney push through those difficult miles.
“I seem to always have a harder time miles six to mile 12,” Stickney said. “I was thinking a lot about how fortunate I was to be there.”
Despite the rain, the crowds were enthusiastic, Stickney said. That was motivation, along with encouragement from other runners.
“Runners all help each other,” Stickney said.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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