Not that Jim Musante is even entertaining the thought of ending his Boston Marathon streak.
But if he did, the time clock would insist he reconsider.
“I have to go back to the early 1990s to get three consecutive, consistent years,” the New Smyrna Beach runner said Monday after completing his 44th straight Boston Marathon
Monday’s time: Three hours, 34 minutes, 2 seconds. That 3:34:02 is more than two minutes faster than the 66-year-old runner ran last year.
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“I thought I’d do well this year but I was overwhelmed at how well I did,” he said.
Temps reaching toward 70 degrees had him worried because he’s no fan of a hotter-than-normal Boston.
“I expected to be under 3:35 but the temperature spiked to 70,” he said. “My middle miles, from 8 to 18, were phenomenal. I had a little bit of trouble in my last 5K. My quads were just toast.”
Musante finished 33rd out of 617 in his 65-69 age group. His 44 straight Bostons is the eighth longest current streak.
“I do not expect this at this stage of my life,” he said. “I just expect to maintain. But to get faster? That wasn’t expected. Just a really good, satisfying year.”
It was a quality trip this year or both Jim and his wife, Kitty, one of Volusia County’s top runners for a few decades now. Injuries eventually limited Kitty to 5K races, and the big Boston Marathon pre-race is a Saturday 5K, which this year drew over 9,000 runners.
Kitty finished second in the 65-69 age group (121 runners) with a time of 22:35. She finished 223rd of 5,116 overall women in the 5K.
Volusia-Flagler runners in Boston Marathon
The list of area runners completing the 2024 Boston Marathon, with age, hometown, and finishing time:
∎ Michael Klein, 26, Palm Coast, 2:52:31
∎ Leah Umberger, 27, DeLand, 3:11:35
∎ Madeline Lindemann, 26, Palm Coast, 3:45
∎ Lori Leatherbee, 64, New Symyrna Beach, 4:16:25
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