On April 20, 2026, the 130th Boston Marathon was held, spanning from Hopkinton Mass. to the end of Boylston St. in the Back Bay of Boston. With over 30,000 athletes, the event is one of the largest in the world. Although the marathon has been running since 1897, in 2013 the race took on a whole new meaning. On April 15, 2013, two terrorists set off two bombs near the end of the finish line, killing three and injuring over 250 others. Now, to honor the victims of the bombing, spectators and runners often wear blue and yellow and place sentimental gifts at the finish line.
Out of the 30,000 participants, two Walpole High School (WHS) teachers qualified for this year’s marathon. WHS science teacher Christopher Tringali and WHS art teacher Timothy Bergeron were both able to claim their Boston Marathon medals in the race’s 130th running.
When preparing for a marathon, hundreds of hours go into training. Tringali ran an average of 10 miles a day for seven days a week, totalling up to about 1,100 miles during the course of his marathon preparation. Much like Tringali, Bergeon ran about four times a week while also including strength training as a part of his training process.
“My longest runs topped out at 22 miles, roughly a month out from race day. Most of my runs were throughout the roads of Walpole after school, but during the worst parts of the winter, I ran at the Gillette Stadium Parking lots to avoid snow-covered sidewalks,” Tringali said.
At the conclusion of the race, Tringali ran a new personal best time of 2:35:01 and finished in 631st place while Bergon had a final time of 4:33:33 and finished in 5,300th place.
“You really learn just how amazing humans can be. Beyond just proving to yourself how far you can push your limits; during a marathon (spectating or running) every person out there is on the same team and doing everything in their power to get every runner to the finish line,” Bergeron said.
Both Tringali and Bergeon made sacrifices and commitments, taking a great deal of time to get the most out of the experience. With friends, family and even some former students cheering them to the finish line, the WHS teachers highly recommend either participating or spectating this prestigious event.
“Race day is a 26.2-mile celebration of months of sacrifice. For many people, qualifying for Boston is a lifelong accomplishment and the good vibes that you feel as a runner or spectator are contagious,” Tringali said.
As for the professional athletes, Kenyan runner John Korir claimed the marathon title for the second year in a row. This year, Korir ran the 26.2 mile race in 2:01:52, beating the course record that was previously set by Geoffrey Mutai. Korir maintained a 4:39 minutes per mile pace throughout the marathon. Additionally, Sharon Lokedi won the women’s division of the race for the second year in a row with a time of 2:18:51. During miles 22 to 24, Lokedi took the lead and rushed ahead, securing her win. 5,000 of the participants ran the 26 miles in under three hours, a record high.
