Six Sussex runners complete Boston Marathon

A total of 43 runners from Delaware completed this year’s Boston Marathon April 18. It was the 126th version of the race. This year’s event was held under nearly ideal conditions. Evans Chebet of Kenya tossed in a few sub-4:30 miles to break away from countryman Lawrence Cherono and take the win by 30 seconds. Chebet’s time was 2:06:51. Talk about being consistent – he ran the first half in 1:03:26 and the second half in 1:03:25. Cherono was timed in 2:07:21.  A total of 28,604 entries toed the line at this year’s race. Locally, Sussex County had six runners, led by Francisco Puac of Georgetown in 2:51:31. Mike Sewell of Lewes ran 3:10:56, while Brian Hsia of Rehoboth Beach ran 3:25:40. Martin Rodriguez of Selbyville ran 3:47:17, while David Miller of Lewes ran 4:16:29. Samuel Weiland of Lewes ran 4:28:59.

Every year, I like to look at results and search for notable finishers who would surprise anyone after seeing that they ran 26.2 miles. This year, a former NASCAR champion, a star of “The Bachelor” and a U.S. women’s soccer legend were among the famous faces who ran the race.

NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth, who turned 50 last month, brought some of his speed to the Boston Marathon course, finishing with a time of 3:01:40.

Adrianne Haslet and Shalane Flanagan ran 5:18:41. Haslet, who lost her leg in the 2013 marathon bombings, ran with Flanagan as her support trainer. Flanagan, a former Olympian, retired from professional running in 2019. The pair finished and embraced after crossing the finish line.

Matt James, the star of season 25 of “The Bachelor,” finished in 3:49:38. James ran the marathon to raise money and awareness for the USO.

Zac Clark, who proposed to “The Bachelorette” star Tayshia Adams at the end of the show’s 16th season, ran a time of 3:43:46. Clark ran in support of the Release Recovery Foundation, a nonprofit for individuals affected by addiction and mental illness.

Heather O’Reilly ran 4:02:01 and Leslie Osborne ran 4:01:58. The duo are former teammates on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team who are both now retired. O’Reilly is a three-time medalist and FIFA world champion, while Osborne enjoyed stints in the Women’s Professional Soccer League for the Boston Breakers and Chicago Stars. The pair ran in support of Boston vs. Bullies, an anti-bullying initiative created by The Sports Museum.

Kristine Lilly, former a U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team stalwart, also ran the 2022 race. The most-capped player in team history is part of the eight-person Honorary Women’s Team, running in honor of the eight women who finished the Boston Marathon in 1972 as part of the first official women’s field. Lilly finished the race with an unofficial time of 3:54:42, and managed to find her fellow USWNT alums, O’Reilly and Osborne, on the course.

Sarah Fuller also took part as a member of the Honorary Women’s Team. Fuller made history as the first woman to take part in a Power Five conference college football game when she was a kicker for Vanderbilt. Fuller finished with an unofficial time of 5:50:59.

Bob Socci, a New England Patriots radio personality, ran the 2022 Boston Marathon in an unofficial time of 5:00:43, raising money for the Doug Flutie Foundation.

“Survivor” champion and Lexington native Ethan Zohn celebrated 10 years cancer-free, running an unofficial time of 5:02:44 and raising money for AKTIV Against Cancer.

Race director Dave McGillivray completed his 50th Boston Marathon and has pledged, “I will run this race every year of my life.”