Finishing fifth in his age group at the 115th annual Boston Marathon was good but not great for Joe Garcia.
“I was hoping to do a little better, to tell you the truth,” said the venerable 67-year-old St. Albert runner.
His time in the 42-kilometre race was three hours, 22 minutes and 29 seconds.
“I didn’t have that extra four minutes that I wanted,” Garcia said. “I blame it on the winter. It was very hard and very icy. You had to run indoors most of the time so you don’t get the same amount of training. You get very tired of doing circles all the time. I just couldn’t get into it as much as I wanted to.”
Gilles Lacasse of Quebec was the top runner in the 65-69 men’s division at 3:04:52. The runner-up was Leo Rutten of New England at 3:18:16. Also placing ahead of Garcia was Sandy MacIntosh of Nova Scotia at 3:21:22 and John De Vries of Ontario at 3:22:19.
The race winner was Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya at 2:03:02, surpassing the previous world-best time by 57 seconds.
Garcia was seeded seventh in his division going into the race.
“I had a very comfortable race, very controlled,” said the plumber with the Edmonton Public School Division.
It was his first Boston Marathon and he plans on returning in 2014 to celebrate his 70th birthday on the same day as the race.
“It’s a big goal. Some of my running friends are going to join me there and I promise I will buy them beer after the race,” said the long-time member of the St. Albert Roadrunners and Triathlon Club.
The last marathon for Garcia was in Victoria last October and his time was 3:23.
“I do mostly Ironman but I said let’s try a marathon this year, and since everybody goes to Boston I’ve got to go to Boston too,” he said. “It was very exciting. The cheering and the enthusiasm of the other spectators in the crowd was fantastic. People are all out for the race. They are very involved and you can feel it throughout the race. Boston is also a beautiful place to run.”
Garcia didn’t make his marathon debut until age 49 in Edmonton.
“I did a lot of 10 kilometre races and even half marathons but never developed an interest for marathons,” said the father of four. “After that race I went back to the shorter ones and then I developed an interest to go to New York. I qualified for New York and I was seeded 2,400 so I was in the first corral. That’s not bad. They have 37,000 people running it so if you’re in the first corral you’re in a pretty good place.”
The active triathlete also competed at the 2008 World Ironman Championship in Hawaii and was the only Canadian male qualifier in the 60-plus category.
“I kind of got addicted watching the race and I said, ‘Why do all these people from all over the world come here to do this. There has got to be something to it and I want to be a part of it,’” he said. “I did my first Ironman that year and had a good race and the next year I went and I qualified for Kona.”
Garcia conquered the 3.8-kilometre swim, 180-km bike and 42-km marathon in 14 hours and 22 minutes for 22nd place in his division.
“I suffered like you would not believe. That was very, very hard. The bike for me was very painful. My back was hurting. Every time I saw a water station, I had to stop and drink and pour water over my head but nothing helped. I just kept on going but the pain never ended,” he said. “I had enough strength to do it but I knew I had to suffer to get it done. Once I got to the run I passed hundreds and hundreds of people that were barely walking. I did OK in the run but it was the back that bothered me.”
Last year in Texas a bike spill left him with a third-degree separated left shoulder that cut into his Ironman training, so he focused on the marathon.
“For a marathon you need time. I run every day of the week if I can for a marathon.”
Garcia is focusing on doing a half-marathon in Baltimore in early June and the annual Ironman Canada in Penticton in late August in pursuit of another berth at worlds.
“I can still compete, which is very motivating to try and reach the podium,” he said. “I’m not slowing down too much. I’m not getting faster either but I’m within range all the time. It’s a good feeling.”
Garcia is addicted to running and the thrill of competition.
“I couldn’t do without it. It’s a stimulant for sure. It’s a need. It’s like a drug. You have to run otherwise you suffer. Mentally you’re not comfortable with yourself,” said the cook for the Roadrunners’ annual New Year’s Day brunch for members after their brisk morning run as a group to ring in the new year.
When asked if he is an inspiration to others, Garcia replied: “I hope I am. That’s my goal. People tell me that they started doing things because of me. They say if he can do it, so can I and I tell them if you want to you can do it too.”
