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Congrats To These 7 Turtle Riders For Dominating The Boston Marathon And Sharing Their Experiences

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Every year we like to recognize Turtle Riders who finished the Boston Marathon, because it’s a pretty amazing feat. It’s not so much the race itself that’s so hard, it’s all the training you have to put into it. This year we had seven turtle riders (WPD Officer Justin Bennes, Danielle Brideau Lussier, Paul McNeil, Erin Baron, Hannah Janeczak, Stephanie Sciabarrasi Hardy, and David Pietrowski) who were kind enough to answer the following nine questions for us:

1. Have you ever run the Boston Marathon before?

2. What was your time?

3. What was your favorite part about running?

4. What part sucked the most?

5. What was the funniest sign or thing you so while running?

6. Did the crowd help you out at all?

7. What did you do for training leading up to Boston?

8. Would you ever do it again?

9. How do you feel right now?

 

Justin Bennes

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1 an 2. So this was my first marathon and my time was 4:08.

3. My favorite part about running was being part of such a huge and positive event. Everybody was truly out there to cheer you on and it was pretty wild, overwhelming and surreal.

4. The part that sucks the most for me was getting into Brookline and realizing I still have a long way to go. It felt like you should be done within a mile but you had about five.

5. There were a ton of funny signs. A lot said that I was running better than the government and that they were cheering for random strangers. One sign said if Trump can run so can you. My cousin had a really funny sign that said to hurry up or he will drink my beers

6. The crowd helped me out the whole way. My wife convinced me to put a sticker with my name on it so people were cheering the whole way yelling my name. All the families with the little kids high-fiving you all along the way it was pretty cool. All the wild college kids and other runners were also a lot of fun.

7. My training consisted of 8 to 10 mile runs throughout the week and I would try to do one overtime every week. My longest run was 20 miles about three weeks before the marathon. I only started training in February so I had a lot of work to do. 

8 and 9. And although I am quite sore today and my knees and hamstrings, I would definitely do it again. As far as how I feel today, I feel great and happy I did it and I’m a little sad the whole experience is over. However my knees make me walk like I’m an old man right now. I can’t wait for that to be over. Also I would just like to add that even though when I was tired I kept thinking to myself “this ain’t shit, the kids I’m running for go through a whole lot more than this. Don’t be such a pussy.”

 

Danielle Brideau Lussier

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1. Yes this was my 4th Boston

2. Finish Time 3:52:42

3. My favorite part was the crowds, it’s amazing how many people are out cheering you on!

4. The heat sucked today, way too hot. I had a lot of muscle cramping towards the end. This was the hardest one I have run.

5. Best sign – smile remember you paid for this or, smile if you just farted

6. The crowd is the best part of the race, it’s crazy

7. I followed a training plan for the last few months to work up to the distance. This winter was a lot easier training than last year with all the snow

8. This was my 4th Boston and 5th marathon. It’s such an amazing thing to be able to run Boston, so yes

9. Right now I feel awful, very sore and feeling sick from the heat, but it was worth it! Thanks!

 

Stephanie Sciabarrasi Hardy

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1) Yes, I ran last year and it was miserable weather conditions, but I felt better after than I do now!

2) My time this year was 4:07, last year was 3:57.

3) My favorite part was the first half of the race and all the people!

4) The heat sucked and the cramping sucked! I’ve never got cramps in my muscles before and I got them bad this year!

5) There were a lot of funny signs! Some of the ones I remember most was “Run past fast, I farted!”

6) The crowd was amazing this year! There were so many people out supporting the runners, it was overwhelming!

7) I used the Coach Jenny training program. I felt so much more prepared for the race this year, the training program is very regimented and a lot of time and work!

8.) As of right now, I do not want to do it again! But that’s mostly because of the way I feel now, which answers question 9.

9) I feel like crap. I broke my toe at mile 4, I kept cramping, and I dry heaved when I got home! But, ask me again in a week and I will probably say that this was not my last Boston! 😊 I hope this helps!

 

Hannah Janeczak

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1. No. First time running.

2. What was your time? 5:56

3. My favorite part about running the marathon was seeing my family and friends throughout the course. They have been there for me through this whole journey and every time I felt like giving up, in my head I would say “just get to mom,” “get to Kati,” “get to Megan,” and so on because I knew where every person was going to be.

4. What part sucked the most? Newton hills and heartbreak hill. I was doing great up until mile 15, on track to finish a little under 5 hours but then my legs felt like they couldn’t move, and I started to get into a negative mindset. I had to sit a few times because my feet were going completely numb. But I somehow made it!

5. What was the funniest sign or thing you so while running? Someone was running in black leather dressed like Elvis, with a wig and all. I saw a man running in just a thong.

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I saw a lot of men and women going to the bathroom along the road and in the woods. There was a guy running with balloons around his head and attached all over his body. Lots of fun things to see!

6. I believe that the crowd 100% got me through the marathon. So many people were genuinely cheering for me to finish, especially towards the end when I truly didn’t know if I was going to make it to the finish line. It was pretty obvious that I was in a lot of pain. A few people ran beside me cheering for me, and saying really inspiring messages. I got a tremendous amount of “thank yous” when people knew which organization I was running for. It was awesome.

7. I trained for probably a solid month and a half. (injury free) I was out for about 2.5 months completely due to injuries and could not even do cardio. Then once I was able to run a little bit, I ran 2-3 times a week. I only completed 3 long runs 13, 16, and 18. I never ran on the course, and really had no idea what to expect. My teammates ran over 300 miles in their training program, I ran 120.

8. When I crossed the finish line I said to my family and friends I am NEVER doing that again! But now that I am settled and thinking about it, being a competitor I WILL run it again and run for time next time around!

9. Very strange but the roof of my mouth is what is hurting me the most. It feels like the top layer of my mouth is burned and I have not been able to really eat anything the past couple of days. And my legs are shot, I can barely walk. But it was well worth it!

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Paul McNeil

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1. Yes I ran the Boston Marathon before in 2014.

2. My time in 2014 was 3.53.46 My time in 2016 was 4.20.25

3. It’s hard to answer what my favorite part about running is because I love running so much.

4. At the start line I hung out with my cousin who is a police officer in Hopkinton. My favorite parts of this years Boston Marathon were running by my goof ball work friends at mile 7 and seeing all of my kids, sisters, parents, nieces, nephews at the last turn before the finish line. When I saw how proud my 14 year old daughter Mackenzie was I knew I accomplished something special.

5. The part that sucked the most was that it was hot and the wind was against us. The hill at mile 18 and heart break hill Mile 21 hurt me real bad this time around. I wanted to quit a few times.

6. I think a lot of running signs are stupid. A lot talk about how they are drinking and I we are running. They forget to mention that they are lazy and we are warriors! My friends had a funny jerk sign at mile 7 about me going bald. I thought theirs was the funniest.

7. The crowd gets me pumped for sure. I learned from last time to put my name on my shirt so random people cheer me on. I saw one of my cousins at mile 25 and a half who I didn’t expect to see. He was screaming at me. He ran with me two years ago. I pointed up to him and said thanks and I also said I love you. When you run 26.2 to emotions run strong. I saw a lot of people break down. When I turned the last corner I saw my family. They we’re 11 or 12 deep. I hugged everyone of them and said thank you. I knew at that point I just finished my 2nd Boston marathon. I was proud of myself for the first time in two years.

8. I feel physically hurt and emotionally drained. I didn’t train as hard this time. I had trouble finding time for real long runs. I still ran 35-40 miles a week every week since January usually 8 miles every time.

9. It was harder for me this time, I don’t want to run a marathon for a long time but yeah I will rise up again one day! Running helped me quit cigarettes 3 years ago. It helps me mentally more than I can put to words! Thank you to all the people who donated money to me. $4500 is a lot to ask for. I wouldn’t get to run the greatest race in the world twice without all of them.

 

Erin Baron

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1. Nope, I’ve never even run 26.2 miles before!

2. I finished at 5:16:42. Not fast but not last. I really took every moment in. I gave all the kids high fives, took a little break to hug my family and friends who came to support me, took a picture on top of heartbreak hill with Elvis and so on. I really just tried to enjoy the whole experience. You never get your first marathon back!

3. It was absolutely amazing to see people of every race, sex, and religion coming together and cheering everyone on despite their differences. Especially with the state of our country these days, it was refreshing and comforting to see that peace is possible.

4. I had an IT band injury during training that snuck back up on me at mile 16, so the last 10 miles were a bit more painful. And the hills.

5. There were so many good signs! “Keep running or I’ll vote for Trump” or “Hurry the Kenyans are drinking all of your beer!”

6. It’s true what they say…there is nothing like the crowd in Boston. They are so motivational. I think it definitely kept me going knowing all those people were cheering me on! One nice woman even called me over to use her roller stick on my leg because she noticed I was limping!

7. I used a 16 week training plan, shorter runs during the week and a long solo run every Sunday. I think the training was the hardest part, going out and running for hours alone, missing out on things that I would rather have been doing for months. The marathon was just the reward for all of that hard work!

8. Yes! I would most definitely run Boston again.

9. How do you feel right now? Sore! Apparently getting a beer and taking pictures when I finished was more important than stretching my poor muscles!

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David Pietrowski

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1. No, this was my first marathon

2. 4:50:54

3. Easily the crowds. It was 26.2 miles of amazing people that restore your faith in humanity.

4. The sun and the heat, do much better in the cold. Blowing out my knee sucked also.

5. There was a older guy in a cape running with balloons on his back that was getting the spectators worked up. It was a nice distraction.

6. They did! Since I was running for Children’s Hospital I had “Dave runs for Elodie” on the front of the shirt. They would yell out you name, tell you thanks for running for the kids, etc. They also gave out popsicles, Twizzlers, all good stuff to keep you going.

7. I followed a 20 week training plan that Children’s Hospital gave us.

8. I might, I’ll tell you after I get my knee iced some more.

9. Weary, sore, but proud. Getting the medal was awesome.

Congrats to all the turtle riders on their tremendous accomplishment. It’s wicked hard, but it’s one of the coolest experiences you’ll ever have. I don’t care how fat and out of shape you are, anyone can do this if they dedicate themselves to it. It has the ability to change your life for the better while raising money for a great cause. We will continue to recognize these people on an annual basis. Next year this could be you!! Congrats to all once again. 

 

 

 

 

 

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3 Comment(s)
  • Devils Mouthpiece
    April 22, 2016 at 8:01 am

    Congratulations to all that set the goals and stuck to it!!!

  • LOL
    April 22, 2016 at 12:36 am

    This article is A.K. all the way… congrats to all who participated. The guy who wrote about you (A.K.) is trash.

  • Common sense isn't so common
    April 21, 2016 at 10:23 pm

    Good stuff congratulations to all!!!

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