6th time’s the charm

WASILLA — At age 41 and with nearly 1,500 miles of trail and pavement under his feet, David Johnston said he’s just starting to hit his marathoning prime. As proof, the Valley runner posted his best time in six consecutive Boston Marathons on Monday, breaking the three-hour mark for the first time at the race.

“Finally,” said Johnston, who puts about 90 miles of work in a week in addition to his duties at president of the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce. “This was my fifth fastest time. I’ve broken three hours about 10 times, but never in Boston. That course has always just killed me. It’s the pavement. Those last 10 miles my feet were just pounding.”

Johnston’s time of 2:54.17 was the sixth fastest among the 22 Alaska men in the Boston Marathon and good enough to place him 848th overall. In a field of about 27,000, Johnston said he was pleased with a top-1,000 finish.

“For years I’ve wanted to break into the top 1,000, so I was happy to do that,” he said, adding he feels he could have done even better. “I try not to be disappointed, but I thought I was in about 2:45.0 marathon shape, so I was about nine minutes shy of that. I’ve got my work cut out for me.”

For the first time in his six Boston Marathons, Johnston also was running for a cause. In addition to competing, he raised $3,000 for the Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center in Hopinton, Mass.

While he enjoys all kinds of distance running challenges — he’s completed five 100-miles races, 10, 50-milers and is planning a 350-mile run from Knik to McGrath — Johnston said there’s something special about the 26.2 miles of a traditional marathon.

And don’t tell Johnston that now that he’s on the long side of 40 that he’s over the hill.

“Oh, I’m just getting warmed up,” he said. “I’ve actually had the best two years of running since I turned 40, and I think that’s because you get wiser. But, I’ll admit that getting out of bed in the morning (after a race) is not as easy as when I was 25. It takes longer to warm up now.”

In terms of being a Boston Marathon competitor, he’s a relative pup. There was one runner this year who was completing his 50th consecutive race, Johnston said, and you won’t even get a listing in the official program until you’ve completed 25 straight Boston Marathons.

“The start listing people in the official program at 25 consecutive, so I’ve got a lot to go yet,” he said. By then, he’ll be 60 and “that’s definitely a goal.”

He also has taken a little break from daily training since the race on Monday.

“I walk a little bit, but that’s it,” he said. “For some reason, Boston just beats me up. I’ll probably get back out (today), probably head out and do 15 miles or so. That’s normal. I’m trying to hit around 90 miles a week.”

There’s also something special about the whole Boston Marathon mystique. Johnston takes the opportunity to also see some sights, including a Boston Red Sox game the day before. And with tens of thousands of competitors and spectators packed along the route, “it’s just crazy,” he said.

“I think there’s a whole excitement about it and the participants and spectators are just so crazy,” he said. “I love to watch the excitement of others, especially the first-timers. They’re just so giddy. I love those people.”

Sutton runner

finishes

One of those who was still giddy two days after the race was Sutton resident Chris Jones, who at 49 started and finished her first Boston Marathon in 3:57:38. She credits her supportive husband, Matt, as her “one-man pit crew.”

Although she’s run marathons before, Boston was a challenge, Jones said.

“Oh God, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “The heat was a factor for me, but I don’t think it was for everyone else.”

Although the temperatures were in the 50s, which may seem cool, it’s about 20 degrees warmer than what she was used to training in. Completing the Boston race met a goal that started when her children grew up and she began running as a hobby.

“The kids got older and I just started running,” she said. “It was a little hobby on the treadmill, which took me outside, which took me to marathons.”

On Monday, her goal was to finish.

“I knew I was going to finish it,” she said. “It didn’t matter if they turned out the lights and all went home, I was going to finish it. One thing I didn’t expect was all the hills. I didn’t think there’d be so many of them.”

Still recovering on Wednesday, Jones said she made a vow when she crossed the finish line, but admitted she’s already considering going back on it.

“When I crossed the finish line, I was like, ‘I’m retired. I’m never doing that again,’” she said. “Then by the next morning I was rethinking that.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.