Tutor Places 38th in Boston Marathon

Pushing through the heat that felled many top seeds, Timothy C. Harte '90, a resident tutor in Kirkland House, dramatically improved both his time and place in yesterday's 103rd Boston Marathon.

Harte was the 35th man to cross the finish line, the 38th finisher overall, after coming in 51st in last year's event. His time of 2:27.32 was three minutes faster than his time from last year and two minutes faster than his previous best, from this year's New York Marathon.

Harte's achievements are even more notable given the heat and direct sunlight that bombarded the runners throughout much of the course.

"I was shooting for 2:26, but on a really hot day 2:27 is more than I could have hoped for," Harte said.

Harte said the last four miles of the race were particularly trying for everyone. While many runners--including last year's winner Moses Tanui of Kenya, and four-time champion Bill Rodgers of Massachusetts--succumbed, Harte pushed through the pain in pursuit of a personal record.

"I knew I was passing people and I wanted to get as good a time as I can," he said. "It was just tolerating the pain and getting to the end."

Of his six marathons, Harte said he felt the worst at the end of this race, his fourth consecutive time running the Boston Marathon.

"I crossed the line and almost blacked out for a couple of seconds before they caught me," Harte said.

Harte said the thought of "seeing my wife at the finish line" provided the extra boost to help him through the pain, exhaustion and nausea to finish strong.

Harte's time of 2:27 is only five minutes off the qualifying standard for the Olympic trials, a time which Harte has kept in the back of his mind.

But Harte said he has seen too many of his friends and fellow runners start too quickly and then fade in pursuit of the standard.

"Today gives me a confidence for [qualifying], but it won't be my main goal," Harte said.

Regardless of Harte's future ambitions, his extraordinary performance in yesterday's marathon has earned him bragging right for a lifetime.

Harvard Represents

The heat affected entrants of all abilities, from elite runners like Harte to those out on the course for the first time.

Yesterday was the first marathon for Matthew F. Delmont '00, who said the heat definitely slowed him down.

"It was really hot out there," Delmont said. "It got tough in the middle [and] I had to walk a half-mile in Newton. In short, I kind of got my ass kicked by the course, but I was happy to finish."

Delmont drew extra motivation from his role as a runner for the Red Cross. Thinking about those who sponsored his efforts drove Delmont to continue pushing, he said.

"When you're getting tired it helps knowing that you're running for more people than yourself," he said. "Friends in the Houses gave five or 10 bucks and I would have let them down if I had not finished."

Delmont, who crossed the line in 4:04.53, said he thought he best part of the race were the fans.

"Little kids wanted to slap my hands, and at mile 24 a group of my friends painted 'MATT' on their chests, which obviously helped get me going," Delmont said.

But the best part of the course, according to Delmont, occurred earlier, when the runners wound their way past Wellesley College.

"For a half-mile or mile, [the course] is just lined with screaming college girls," he said. "That's probably the best part of the course in terms of fan support. They're crazy. They couldn't be more supportive."

Eric S. Rosen '00, whose girlfriend goes to Wellesley, also appreciated the fan support in that particular section of the course. Ultimately, however, the heat and a previous injury overcame the boost from the fans.

"I was doing well, I wasn't tired, but at mile 17 my knees collapsed, and I had to walk the last five miles," Rosen said.

Rosen has run half-marathons competitively, but yesterday was his first experience tackling the full 26.2 miles.

Rosen started off strong, but then a knee injury from March caught up with him.

Rosen, who finished with a time of 4:01.56, said the last six miles took him an hour and 15 minutes.

"I was refreshed from walking but I couldn't bend my leg," he said.

Despite Rosen's disappointing performance, he said he still had fun and his hopes for the future remain high.

"I'll get out there next year and try to qualify in the fall," he said.

After running a disappointing first marathon in Rhode Island this fall, Natalie M Bowman '99 was especially pleased with her performance yesterday, as her time qualifies her for next year's race.

Bowman finished with a time of 3:38.04, 20 minutes faster than her first marathon and two minutes under the 3:40 qualifying standard.

Bowman said that running the Boston Marathon, with a field of over 12,000 entrants, was very different from her experience in Rhode Island.

"Boston was a little hillier, and [Rhode Island] was a lot smaller," Bowman said. "There weren't nearly as many people watching [in Rhode Island]. It was kind of like a big party to run in this one."

Bowman said she appreciated her successful race even more because her parents, from North Carolina, were there to cheer her on.

Charlotte W. Houghteling '02 and Sarah E. Reckhow '02, who is a Crimson editor, have not yet qualified officially, but the two were very pleased with their first marathon experience yesterday.

Houghteling said the pair finished in 4:17, three minutes under their goal.

According to Houghteling, the two also had a lot of fun, due in no small part to their affiliation with Harvard.

"It was so fun because we were wearing Harvard shirts and everyone was cheering and screaming for us," Houghteling said. "It was really exhilarating. I'm really proud of myself."

The Champions of the 103rd

Not only did the heat thwart many top seeds, but winning times were slower than they have been in the past.

Joseph Chebet of Kenya won the men's race in 2:09.52, marking the ninth straight year that Kenyans have triumphed in Boston.

Fatuma Roba of Ethiopia won the women's race in 2:23.25. The race was the third victory in as many years for Roba, who also claimed the gold medal in the 1996 Olympic marathon.

Both the men's and women's wheelchair champions also won for the third year in row. Franz Nietlispach of Switzerland won in 1:21.36, and Louis Sauvage of Australia edged out the American Jean Driscoll at the line to win in 1:42.22.