Ireland’s Alistair Cragg Says He’s Ready For Boston

He thinks he has a shot at winning it.

In the Boston Marathon’s long and storied history, only one Irishman has won the race: Neil Cusack back in 1974. But this year there’s a chance another man will share the honor–30-year-old Alistair Cragg.

Cragg is debuting in the marathon at Boston. He is a 12-time All-American who attended the University of Arkansas.

“I’m a competitor, and if you’re a good competitor you give yourself a chance,” he said. “It’s encouraging. Before, I was more of a 3,000-meter runner. But I ran a half marathon in New York last week, and everything went well.”

Cragg has definitely been putting in the mileage, logging 110 miles a week at altitude in Mammoth Lakes to prepare for the 26.2-mile race. He’s also been training with Meb Keflezighi who has made the race’s top five twice.

Cragg said the snow in Mammoth this winter made the training especially difficult, but that his “coach is always reminding us that Boston could be cold or windy. You have to be ready for anything.”

For More: Boston Herald.com