Two Flagstaff residents placed in the top 10 at the Boston Marathon this year. Nick Arciniaga, 30, came in seventh with a time of 2:11:47, as did Shalane Flanagan, 32, in the women’s race with a time of 2:22:02.
Meb Keflezighi, an American, won the race with a time of 2:08:37.
Arciniaga said that this year’s race was particularly meaningful after last year’s tragedy at the finish line. “The experience was exhilarating and with Meb out there, it’s like icing on the cake to have an American win the race. It made it so much better,” he said.
He said the crowds were larger and louder this year. “It’s uplifting, the reaction from the crowd. We feed off the crowd and the energy level makes us feel so much better. As we get closer to the finish, the crowds get thicker and thicker and [louder]. You don’t have time to think about the pain.”
Race officials reported that 31,805 finished the April 21 race. “This race, there were so many more people than ever before and after last year’s race, everyone just wanted to come out and show support for the city and the race,” said Arciniaga.
He said he began feeling pain in his legs while tackling the famous and dreaded Newton Hills. “There are four hills over the next to 21 miles and where it gets tough is Heartbreak Hill that comes right at 20 miles.”
Arciniaga pushed through because the last five miles were downhill and flat, but he was losing time. “I was worried my legs were not going to feel good enough to pick up the pace. I was in 15th place with five miles to go,” he said. “I knew there was a struggle in front of me, but I could run faster downhill.”
With every runner he passed, it motivated him to run past a couple of others each mile.
“It was encouraging,” he said.
Flanagan, who was not available for comment at the time FBN went to print, did much of her training at Hypo2High Performance Center in Flagstaff.
“Let’s just say that a mind-boggling number of things have to come together in order for an athlete to be able to turn in a performance like that in the face of such world class competition,” said Sean Anthony, managing director of the business. “We’re proud to be in a position to help elites train effectively and fine-tune their bodies but, as Shalane Flanagan said when she was in our high performance center, no matter how much meticulous preparation you do and regardless of how many of those things do come together in the right way, the marathon gods still have to smile down upon you.”
Dr. AJ Gregg, a physiotherapist at Hypo2, worked with Flanagan before the race.
“Athletes like Shalane are always pushing the envelope and what we at Hypo2 do is give them the ability to execute maximal training with minimal injury and optimal recovery by combining several different treatment modalities, techniques, and practitioners at the same time. Our integrated support team is their ace in the hole.”
Arciniaga does most of his training with Team Run Flagstaff, a community group of runners of all ages. He runs for UnderArmour. He will run several other marathons throughout the year and hopes to qualify for the next summer Olympics.
For his performance at the Boston Marathon, he earned an engraved glass bowl and a cash award.
At last year’s race, two bombs exploded at the finish line, killing three and injuring 260.
“Many of us took it personally. This is my fourth time and I had hundreds of friends out there last year. None were hurt,” he said.
He said everyone rallied around this year’s race. “They wanted to celebrate it with good memories, not having a black mark from last year’s event. The overall race was pretty exciting. The crowds and fans along the course made the race so much easier. It brought the enthusiasm and adrenaline up.” FBN