In a virtual way, Bill Romito completes 34th straight Boston Marathon

Leeds resident Bill Romito, 66, completed his virtual Boston Marathon on Tuesday, running 21 laps around Look Park in Northampton.

It was Romito’s 34th straight Boston Marathon and 214th marathon overall. He finished in 5 hours, 27 minutes, 15 seconds.

“I told myself I’d finish under 5:30 and I did,” Romito said. “Very happy about that. I’d have to say the last 8 miles were tough because of the warm weather.”

Romito is a member of the Quarter Century Club of the Boston Marathon, which was formed in 2001 to honor the achievements of Johnny Kelly. There were 82 active runners in the club as of Monday, which was the first day of the virtual 124th Boston Marathon. The event ends next Monday for runners who qualified for the 2020 edition and who signed up for the virtual event. About 30,000 runners typically participate in the Boston Marathon, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. About 17,000 runners worldwide have signed up for the virtual run.

Romito said on Monday that road races “are more social events for me. I just miss the camaraderie of being with the some of the other local runners I don’t see that often.”

Romito said several friends lined Look Park throughout his run. He said he was thankful for their support.

posted Wednesday September 9th
by Mike Moran