Politics
Long After Sunset, the Final Two Runners Cross the Marathon Finish Line
Two runners with injuries ended the New York City Marathon on their own two feet — and a pair of crutches.
More than 13 hours after the first racers crossed the starting line of the New York City Marathon on Sunday morning, the final two hobbled across the finish line long after the sun had set.
On crutches and with a bandage wrapped around her thigh, Danielle Grimley, 41, of Colorado, crossed just after 9:30 p.m. to complete her first marathon in 10 hours 32 minutes and 7 seconds.
Mario Bollini, 74, of Italy, followed just a few minutes later, finishing in 10:01:47. He said through an interpreter that this was his 37th marathon in New York.
Mr. Bollini said he had run 78 marathons, and in New York he has always finished within 5 hours. (In 1989, he finished in exactly 3 hours.) But he injured his knee in January while training. Two people, he said, had told him he wouldn’t be able to run the race this year. But he was determined to prove them wrong.
In the final miles, Mr. Bollini said, he worried that the medals and food would be gone when he finally finished.