EDMONTON – Of the 36,000 people to run in the 118th Boston Marathon on Monday, a 27-year-old Edmontonian came in 101st overall, making him the fastest Canadian in this year’s race.
Tom McGrath was among 2,400 Canadians and one of more than 50 Edmontonians registered for the world-renowned marathon.
It was his third time running the race, and ended up being his best. But he says it didn’t seem that way during the 26.2-mile course.
“The legs didn’t feel great even at 10 miles into the race; the legs felt a bit sluggish. And I thought maybe it wasn’t my day and I didn’t quite get my goal, but it ended up okay,” he said in a Skype interview with Global News.
‘Okay’ is an understatement. McGrath’s goal was to finish the race in under two-and-a-half hours. He came in just 24 seconds over that time, but is walking away with a title he’s proud of.
“Being a top Canadian at a major marathon has been one of the things I’ve wanted to do for quite a while. And to do it in this race today is pretty special.”
McGrath ran the prestigious marathon last year, and remembers thinking then that it was a little odd to see so much security.
“‘Who would ever attack something like that?’…which is what I thought. But it all made sense this year, of course.”
Following the bombings in 2013 that went off near the finish line, killing three people and leaving more than 260 wounded, security was more than doubled to 3,500 law enforcement officers at the 2014 Boston Marathon.
READ MORE: Boston Marathon: Thousands run in 1st race since bombings
Along with the million spectators who lined the route, there were also more than 100 security cameras, 90 bomb-sniffing dogs and officers posted on roofs.
Despite the added measures, McGrath says the biggest change he noticed was there not being a bag check at the start line of what he knew would be “the most secure marathon.”
Now that it’s complete, he’s already thinking about the possibility of running the Edmonton Marathon in August.
WATCH: John Sexsmith has more on Canada’s fastest runner
For now, though, he’s just focused on celebrating.
“Haven’t nailed down a plan, but it’ll be started with a big, juicy, greasy cheese burger.”
The top Canadian woman and current holder of the Canadian women’s marathon record, 30-year-old Lanni Marchant of London, Ontario finished ten seconds after McGrath.
Meb Keflezighi of the United States was first to finish the race, with a time of 2:08:37. He was the first American male to win the Boston Marathon in 31 years.
With files from Laurel Gregory, Global News and The Associated Press
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