On Monday, spectators gathered on Boylston Street to cheer for the 24,918 athletes who would cross the finish line. Boylston Street was filled with families and onlookers with even more people milling around the surrounding streets trying to get a peak at the finish line. 

Juliet Hoinkis, a fifth year student in Northeastern’s physical therapy program, ran the Boston Marathon for the first time.

“I feel connected to Boston, and I’m gonna leave soon because I’m graduating, so I wanted to kind of like be able to participate in this one specifically,” Hoinkis said. “I believe in setting goals and working towards them. And so I thought that this would just be a great opportunity to kind of merge my personal and professional interests.”  

Hoinkis previously completed a co-op at the Spaulding Rehab Hospital, and met patients who were determined to regain their health and mobility to run the Boston Marathon. 

“At the end of the day, I’m running this for all my patients, my past, present and future,” Hoinkis said. “Just knowing that I’m running for something bigger than myself, I think is what I’m looking forward to most.”  

Hoinkis finished the Boston Marathon with a time of 4:56:49.

For the first time since 2017, there were no rain or clouds in sight on the day of the marathon. Instead, the sky was clear and the sun was shining with a high of 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, some things were different in this year’s marathon. 

The Boston Athletic Association, or B.A.A, announced April 6 that Russian and Belarusian citizens residing in either of those countries would no longer be able to compete in the marathon due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. However, Russian and Belarusian citizens who are not residents of either country were still allowed to compete, as long as they did not run under the flag of either country.
Another change this year came after several Boston Police uniforms were stolen from a local uniform supply store just weeks before the marathon. 

The B.A.A held a public safety press conference on April 14 to address safety concerns surrounding the race, especially in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Authorities assured the public at the press conference that there were no credible safety concerns that could cause harm to the marathon or the individuals present.  

The phrase “If you see something, say something” was heard constantly throughout the week leading up to the big event; however, it slightly changed to “If you see something or someone, say something.” 

Another major change that was implemented since the last Boston Marathon was the lowering of the Olympic Trial marathon time from 2:45:00 to 2:39:30. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Circuit, which also includes marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, New York and Chicago. Many participants run these races in order to obtain a qualifying time for the Olympic Trials. 

Caillian Colquitt, a graduate student in the physical therapy department at Northeastern ran the Boston Marathon for her second time in her marathon career, which consists of 10 other marathons. She previously ran the postponed marathon in October 2021. Her goal in the future is to qualify for the next Olympic Trials.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, the marathon was moved online to a “virtual experience” in 2020, and the 2021 marathon was postponed until Oct. 11, 2021.

“Boston’s a pretty tactical course,” Colquitt said.  “A lot of people talk about the hills and, you know, that is something to consider. But the first [mile] of it is downhill. Everyone’s kind of cheering for you. It’s very exciting.” 

Colquitt, who ran with the Heartbreak Flyers — an elite running team under the Heartbreak Hill Running Company based in Boston and Chicago — participated in the Los Angeles Marathon just a few weeks before the Boston Marathon. 

Colquitt had registered for the L.A. Marathon before she realized how close it was to the Boston Marathon. Nevertheless, she decided to run both after not running as fast as she would have liked in the L.A. Marathon, which was her dream marathon. 

Colquitt finished the Boston Marathon with a time of 2:53:58. 

The 2022 Boston Marathon was also the 50th anniversary of women officially being allowed to compete in the race. 

“It’s crazy that it’s only been 50 years that women are able to run in [the marathon], but the fact that they’re able to make that happen is just so awesome. It felt so special to be running in this marathon especially,” said Brooke Inouye, a third-year health science major at Northeastern, who was also a member of the Spaulding Rehab team. 

Inouye ran her first marathon on Monday after not running for three weeks due to patellar tendinitis, an injury within the tissue that connects the patella to the shinbone. 

Despite this setback, Inouye continued other cardio workouts and physical therapy for her preparation for the marathon. 

“I think like the last five miles of the race a lot of the pain was just forgotten. I was just riding on pure adrenaline, but the crowds were amazing during that part,” Inouye said. “But that turn onto Boylston was probably my favorite part. It’s just like out of a movie scene, like there’s just crowds roaring.” 

Inouye finished with a time of 4:01:56. 

The 2022 Boston Marathon winners were Evans Chebet and Peres Jepchirchir, both of Kenya,  for men’s and women’s elite winner, respectively. The men’s wheelchair winner was Daniel Romanchuk of the United States, and the women’s wheelchair winner was Manuela Schär of Switzerland. 

Martin Richard was the youngest person to die in the 2013 Boston Marathon, at just nine years old. His older brother Henry Richard ran the Boston Marathon for the first time and finished with a time of 4:02:20.

The 127th Boston Marathon is scheduled to take place April 17, 2023. 

Editor’s note: This article has been updated April 27 at 12:56 p.m. to reflect that this was Juliet Hoinkis’ first marathon.