Boston Marathon Race Director The Last To Finish
It's been a tradition of his for the past 23 years.
It’s been a tradition of his for the past 23 years.
As if he has enough on his plate the day of the Boston Marathon, race director Dave McGillivray decides every year to pile on more. Since 1989, he has been the last person to finish the famed race. (McGillivray became the race director in 1988, but had to drop out at mile 20 the first year of his tenure.) Last year, he completed the course in the dark in 9:15:20.
“Years ago, there were people who extended their sympathies as they watched me, and there were those who drank too much and yelled at me to pick up the pace, like I was some kind of slug,’’ McGillivray recalls. “They would say things like, ‘The old man went by two hours ago; why don’t you pick it up?’ ’’
Once an elite runner who has twice run across the country, McGillivray had always enjoyed running the famed marathon. However, after taking on the job as the race’s director, he wrestled with how he could continue to take part in the race.
McGillivray is now 56 years old. His brother, Bob, is part of his support crew, giving him chocolate cookies made with his mother’s recipe along the way. “He’ll keep doing this as long as he can. He’s very determined and likes to show that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything,” he said.
For More: Boston.com