Over 22,500 contestants signed up for this year’s Boston Marathon, but over 4,300 dropped out before the race began. Searing heat and temperatures reaching high 80’s discouraged many, but one of our own faced the challenge. MWH Senior Project Engineer, David Bedoya not only competed in the Boston Marathon, which sent nearly 120 athletes to the hospital, but placed 21st overall.
A five time competitor in the Boston Marathon, David’s fastest time, two hours and twenty-five minutes, was run in 2010 ranking him 35th overall. Running his slowest time, a whopping four minutes slower than his best time, David finished 21st in 83 degree weather.
“Proportionally, this is my best performance on this course. The heat slowed front runners down an average of eight to nine minutes compared to an average year.”
David ran a total of 26 miles 385 yards from the town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts to Boston. The 2012 marathon can only be defined as brutal. “The last five miles were excruciating, but the amount of people cheering out there helped a lot,” explained David.
When asked how he was able to persevere through the heat to finish the race David replied, “I decided to forget about running with a pack and run whatever felt ‘comfortably hard.’ I think the key was just listening to my body and never push it past the point of no return…at least before the last four miles.”
Earlier in his career, David ran the New York Marathon as well as the Cape Cod Marathon in which he placed third. In 2010 and 2011 David placed second and fifth in the Philadelphia International Marathon.
“I would love to continue running competitively if I can stay health and can combine it with work and family responsibilities.”
David began running competitively in 2006 when he moved to the U.S. from Spain, where he was a cyclist for many years. Between January and February David begins training. A regular week involves running to and from work almost every day and taking runs up to 22 miles on the weekends. On Tuesdays he practices with his running club: the Greater Boston Track Club (GBTC).
“When I crossed the finish line I had no idea how I placed. If someone had told me I placed 100th I would have believed it because for all I knew that was my slowest time in Boston,” said David. “When they told me I placed 21st I didn’t believe it.”
