3 Long Valley Runners Go Boston Strong, Complete Marathon

It wasn’t just a race this year.

It was redemption.

For 36,000 runners, the Boston Marathon on Monday was a way to crush the demons that had marred last year’s event, when two bombs went off near the finish line, killing three people and injuring dozens more.

Long Valley was represented in the run to Boyle Street, where the finish tape awaits after 26.2 miles of continuous pacing.

According to the Boston Athletic Association’s website, baa.org, Michael Hodgetts, Julie Williams, and Janice Cazes all completed the marathon.

Hodgetts finished the race with an official time of 3 hours, 48 minutes and 1 second. Williams wasn’t far behind, notching a time of 3 hours, 56 minutes and 19 seconds. Cazes completed the run in 4 hours, 23 minutes and 50 seconds.

After the 2013 event, Cazes spoke with Long Valley Patch about not being able to finish the race because of the bombings. It was her change of mind – and a thought to change her shirt while running – that kept her two blocks from the finish line when the bombs detonated, potentially saving her life and those of her family members. Read more here.

Monday’s race was historical for another reason, as the first American man since 1983 came in first place. Meb Keflezighi finished with a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 37 seconds. Keflezighi also won silver in the 2004 Olympics marathon and came in fourth in the 2012 Games.