2 area runners complete Boston Marathon
A 2018 graduate of Karns City Area Jr./Sr. High School finished in the top 12% of runners in this year’s Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20. A Jackson Township man also completed the marathon.
Rebecca Pennington placed 3,587 out of 29,372 people who started in the Boston Marathon, placed 204th in the women’s division and 190th in women aged 18 to 39, according to unofficial results on the Boston Athletic Association’s website.
Her time for the 26.2-mile trek was two hours, 52 minutes and 50 seconds. She maintained an average pace of six minutes and 36 seconds per mile.
Pennington said she qualified for the Boston Marathon by finishing the Erie Marathon with a time of three hours and six minutes in September. She continued training for the Boston Marathon by running 60 to 65 miles per week, peaking at 22 miles in a single long run during her preparation.
She said the Boston Marathon was just the third one she has ever run, with her first being the Pittsburgh Marathon last year. Pennington said being in Boston for the event was a high-energy experience. She was satisfied with the end result of her race, even aside from her placement in the crowd.
“It was just the whole time there was people screaming, the weather was perfect,” Pennington said. “I knew going into it I was going to PR and I PR’d by like 14 minutes.”
Brad Mueller, of Jackson Township, placed 3,653rd overall in the marathon, with a time of two hours, 53 minutes and four seconds. He placed 3,431st in the men’s division and 2,635th in the men aged 18 to 39 division.
