WORCESTER—More than 30 Worcester runners crossed the finish line at the 130th Boston Marathon, completing the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Boston in this year’s Patriots’ Day race.
Among local finishers, Ivan Shabalin posted the fastest time for a Worcester runner, finishing in 2:25:54, while Lilly Voke led the city’s women with a time of 3:09:32.
The annual marathon—the world’s oldest—drew roughly 30,000 participants from all 50 states and more than 130 countries, including a strong contingent from Worcester.
For some runners, simply reaching the finish line carried significance far beyond race times.
Mary Lassey, who completed her first-ever marathon in 4:56:33, said the experience capped off months of difficult winter training while balancing family responsibilities and coaching commitments in Worcester.
“Training through the winter wasn’t easy with the dark early morning snowy runs and dark runs at night after a long work day,” Lassey told the Worcester Guardian in an email. “But I stayed committed and showed my kids anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”
Lassey, a coach at Worcester Academy, said she also hoped the experience would inspire the school’s ice hockey and softball players.
“I was given this opportunity through raising money to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of MetroWest,” she said. “I worked for non-profits for many years before having my own children and this was an opportunity to give children the tools to a bright future.”
She credited her husband and mother for helping make the training possible.
“Lots of time went into training and it would not have been possible without the support of my husband Jeff and my mom,” Lassey said. “They took on shuffling the kids to practices and cooking dinners, to help give me time to get my workouts in.”
Lassey added: “I definitely want to do this again.”
At the front of the field, Kenya’s John Korir defended his title in record-breaking fashion, setting a new Boston Marathon course record with an unofficial time of 2:01:52, surpassing the previous mark of 2:03:02 set in 2011. In the women’s race, Sharon Lokedi repeated as champion, winning with an unofficial time of 2:18:51.
In the wheelchair divisions, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug captured his ninth Boston Marathon title with an unofficial time of 1:16:06, moving within one win of tying the all-time record held by Ernst Van Dyk. American Daniel Romanchuk finished second. In the women’s wheelchair race, Eden Rainbow-Cooper secured her second Boston victory with an unofficial time of 1:30:51, followed by Swiss racer Catherine Debrunner.
Two Worcester runners did not have finish times available as of late Monday.
Worcester runners — 2026 Boston Marathon net finish times:
Owusuaa Agyare, 35 — 03:32:39
Kayla Argen, 26 — no results available
Caitlin Brosnihan, 33 — 04:36:02
Brian Burlas, 40 — 02:54:59
Amanda Cantrell, 37 — 05:50:24
Michael Carpenter, 24 — 04:35:56
Brendan Carter, 27 — 02:28:37
Deyvid Desouza-Rocha, 33 — 05:44:12
Siobhan Donovan, 37 — no results available
Alex Fernández-Díaz, 39 — 05:00:46
Zack Fitzsimmons, 35 — 02:57:19
Michael Galante, 38 — 03:37:12
Paul Gennaro, 31 — 02:40:51
Oliwia Greenberg, 48 — 03:40:57
Benjamin Hall, 33 — 04:14:37
Jeremy Harris, 29 — 03:49:23
Lindsay Issokson, 27 — 04:57:51
John Kelly, 54 — 04:20:53
Mary Lassey, 38 — 04:56:33
Rebecca Levin, 30 — 05:29:00
Aidan Mcanena, 25 — 03:32:41
Taylor Mcclennen, 26 — 03:51:21
Timothy Mckone, 38 — 03:44:51
Paul Mcneil, 47 — 03:50:09
Connor Nee, 22 — 03:59:38
Robert Orell, 30 — 04:00:06
Ramon Reformado, 36 — 03:33:33
Iain Ridgway, 46 — 02:39:26
Ivan Shabalin, 40 — 02:25:54
Trevor Standish, 40 — 04:33:02
Andrew Staruk, 39 — 04:33:42
Michael Terekhov, 25 — 02:33:40
Lilly Voke, 26 — 03:09:32
Are you a Worcester runner? Share your experience or photos with us at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org.
