45°
Mark Willkehr ran the New York City Marathon just for fun last fall. He ended up qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Monday's race will be the sixth marathon for Willkehr, 41, who ran 3:12:48 in New York.
"I just wanted to have a good run,'' Willkehr says. "I wasn't really looking to run Boston. I've never run a spring marathon before." Boston is the pinnacle for many runners since it requires a qualifying time. Willkehr made the standard for his age group by just over two minutes. "It's the big one,'' he says. "It definitely feels good to have made it."
Willkehr trained for the race by competing in the region's popular Boston Buildup series, but found it difficult to find time to get in long training runs. "I did what I could,'' Willkehr says. "Working in New York City and commuting for 1 ½ hours each way makes it difficult."
Like New York, the route from Hopkinton to Boston is lined with fans almost every step of the way. Willkehr is excited to be a part of it. "I hear it's easier than New York, so we'll see. I'd like to run better than I did in New York, but it depends on how I start out."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
