jane and anna delight at boston success

Jane and Anna at Boston

​Easter Monday saw two blue and white vests on the streets of Boston, as training companions Anna Wright and Jane Kirby took to the streets of eastern Massachusetts for the world-renowned Boston Marathon.
 
Along with New York, Berlin and, of course. London, Boston is one of the Big Four city marathons and, historically, the oldest, notorious also for ‘Heartbreak Hill’ (actually the last of four hills which start at the 16-mile mark), just what you don’t need as you hit the wall at 20 miles. First run in 1897, and traditionally held on Patriots’ Day, it is also actually the oldest of the world’s annual marathons.
 
And after months of hard training under the watchful eye of coach Andrew Dippie, both Anna and Jane had fine runs, with both comfortably inside ‘good for age’ times, Anna clocking 3 hours 24 minutes and 7 seconds and Jane 3:35:56, with both justifiably elated afterwards at their performances.
 
Won by Kenyans John Corir in a time of 2:04:05 - despite a bad fall near the start - and Sharon Lokedi (2:17:22), Paula Radcliffe also made the headlines at 51 years of age, completing the course in a time of 2:53:44. Securing the Six Star Medal awarded to those who have run marathons in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York, Radcliffe would later announce that her ‘body is done’ with road racing and that her competitive career was definitely over.