Howard Roesen and Tom Purcell, Simon Family JCC’s Wellness director, ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20. It was Roesen’s first Boston Marathon and Purcell’s third.
Both avid runners have completed a lot of marathons over their years of friendship, which began at the Simon Family JCC when Purcell was hired and Roesen was head of the Wellness committee.
“We have run many of the same races over the last several decades,” says Purcell. In fact, they have completed 20 straight years of the Rock ‘n’ Roll ½ marathon that was held in Virginia Beach on Labor Day Weekend.
To train for the Boston Marathon, they took a couple of 20- and 22-mile long runs together. “We discussed our training and communicated weekly to see how we’re doing,” says Purcell.
“It was a pleasure to run with Howard and to get to experience the Grand Race again,” he says. “I just turned 60 years old and wanted to run Boston one last time. Now I can say I’ve run a full marathon in every decade of my life from my 20s. I’ll keep running 1/2 marathons, but I’m closing the chapter in my 60s.”
The cool Boston temps didn’t seem to bother any runners, Purcell and Roesen included. “The weather was perfect,” says Purcell, noting that ideal marathon conditions are in the upper 40s to low 50s. “There was very little wind, and it was slightly overcast. We had a late start in our corral, so it wasn’t until 11:30 am when we started.”
The last time Purcell ran the Boston Marathon was 20 years ago when he turned 40. “Those conditions were perfect, too, as I ran a 2:39 time (6:07 pace per mile). I wanted to run Boston this time and enjoy and have fun with my dear friend Howard,” he says.
“We had a blast to soak in the 130 years of the tradition of the Boston Marathon.”
