The injury to Jacob Kirk's right foot, which interrupted his training for the 120th Boston Marathon, thankfully didn't bother him during Monday's race until after he finished as the fastest Alaskan.
Kirk's arch seized up for a spell postrace, but he laughed it off later, following a nap.
"Once you finish a marathon, you're limping around anyway,'' Kirk said.
On a sunny day when thousands of runners – more than 50 of them from Alaska -- endured temperatures in the 60s and a slight headwind, 26.2 miles in tough conditions exacted a toll.
Kirk, 23, of Anchorage, mixed in a particularly fast mile early in the race and quickly regretted his zeal. Defending men's 55-59 age-group champion Jeff Young, 57, of Anchorage, knew he was in for difficult duty when his left hamstring started cramping just seven miles in. And Tom Ritchie, 43, of Anchorage, knew by the time he hit the Newton Hills in the second half of the race that he would need to tap his considerable grit, honed by years of wrestling, to get to the finish.
Kirk, running just his second marathon, topped all Alaskans in 2 hours, 37 minutes, 23 seconds. That gave him a 33-second edge on Ritchie (2:37:56). Young sucked it up to cross in 2:57:45, about 11 minutes slower than his 2015 age-group victory, and finished fourth among Alaskans. Anchorage's Jay Mullen, 31, like Kirk running just his second marathon, finished third among Alaskans in 2:49:41.
Chelsea Ward-Waller, 26, of Anchorage, led Alaska women in 3:12:59. Laura Fox, 35, of Anchorage, clocked 3:18:02. And Samantha Longacre, 26, of Anchorage, ran 3:22:22.
Kirk, who finished third at Anchorage's Mayor's Marathon in his 26.2-mile debut last June, said he ran the first few miles Monday at a pace of about six minutes per mile, or slightly faster.
"I got a little antsy and dropped it down to 5:30 and (soon) thought, 'Oh, that was a terrible decision,' " Kirk said by cellphone.
Kirk said recent training he did in Hawaii while there for his sister's wedding might have helped him in Monday's heat. Given conditions, though, he still took every opportunity to gulp fluids.
"I made sure at every aid station I took water or Gatorade or whatever, and stayed hydrated,'' he said.
Young said his aid station experiences included ample walking. Early in the race, he said he realized he wasn't sweating even though he believed himself properly hydrated. Then his left hamstring began cramping slightly more than a quarter through the race.
"The heat did me in, man,'' Young said. "I started cramping at Mile 7 and walked through that water station. I think I walked through eight water stations.''
Young said his hamstring loosened each time he walked, so he began running again and felt better. Then his hamstring tightened again – and again. The construction worker knew it wasn't his day, so he concentrated on getting to the finish.
"I didn't foresee myself dropping out, just limping in,'' Young said.
Meanwhile, Ritchie said he knew by the Newton Hills he needed to throttle back and limit the damage.
"The (early) downhills of Boston get you,'' Ritchie said. "My legs were done. I just kind of held on.
"I had 20 weeks of training for this so I needed to do the best I could. I definitely wasn't going to stop. All I could say (to myself) was, 'Keep going, keep going, it'll be over soon.' "
Kirk, the former Grace Christian and Montana State runner, said he ran cautiously early because too much eagerness on those downhill miles can translate into agony in later miles.
He also reveled in the supportive crowds that line most of the course in the world's most prestigious marathon. Kirk said he had heard about the crowds and read about them, but was blown away by how spectators truly channeled energy.
"That was an amazing experience,'' Kirk said. "Everyone would tell me the course is lined the whole way. I thought, 'Probably a slight exaggeration.'
"But there was probably (only) one mile where there was no one. I thought, 'Holy Toledo.' You almost feel like a celebrity.
"You'd point at them and they'd cheer you. I thought, 'I'm semi-famous at this point in my life.' It was even longer than the 15 minutes of fame you're supposed to get, so that was great.''
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr
2016 Boston Marathon
Alaska finishers
Men
Jacob Kirk, Anchorage, 2:37:23; Tom Ritchie, Anchorage, 2:37:56; Jay Mullen, Anchorage, 2:49:41; Jeff Young, Anchorage, 2:57:45; Jerry Ross, Anchorage, 3:02:44; Daniel Folmar, Anchorage, 3:03:34; Eric Troxell, Anchorage, 3:11:42; Michael Wheatall, Anchorage, 3:14:13; Antony Scott, Anchorage, 3:15:55; Alec Nevalainen, Juneau, 3:16:58; Greg Frank, Fort Yukon, 3:18:22; Mark Blanning, Kenai, 3:25:53; Tyler Dinnan, Juneau, 3:27:26; James Miller, Anchorage, 3:29:30; Andy Holland, Fairbanks, 3:30:03; John Naylor, Wasilla, 3:31:02; Dan Bishop, Fairbanks, 3:32:45; Lowell Fair, Juneau, 3:35:38; David Johnston, Willow, 3:35:53; Ron Oliver, North Pole, 3:41:59; Kevin Knotek, Moose Pass, 3:44:18; Michael Morris, Anchorage, 3:46:47; Patrick Endres, Fairbanks, 3:49:00; Bruce Davison, Anchorage, 3:49:47; Terrance Kasper, Anchorage, 3:55:09; Lawrence Hall, Fairbanks, 4:19:05; Todd Parrish, Anchorage, 4:26:08.
Women
Chelsea Ward-Waller, Anchorage, 3:12:59; Laura Fox, Anchorage, 3:18:02; Samantha Longacre, Anchorage, 3:22:22; Sarah Aarons, Anchorage, 3:29:13; Maria Whitworth, Anchorage, 3:30:13; Beth Zirbes, Fairbanks, 3:33:18; Holly Barclay, Anchorage, 3:34:29; Gabriella Sonnenberg, Wasilla, 3:36:44; Kristen Lindsey, Anchorage, 3:44:14; Michelle Richards, Palmer, 3:44:23; Jody Olsen, Anchorage, 3:46:54; Susan Faulkner, Fairbanks, 3:54:20; Jane Lanford, Fairbanks, 3:58:15; Shelly Matherne, Anchorage, 4:00:29; Jennifer Kueter, Anchorage, 4:02:57; Meredyth Richards, Fairbanks, 4:03:45; Ellyn Brown, Anchorage, 4:14:26; Colleen Jardell, Juneau, 4:16:23; Susan Craig, Soldotna, 4:23:11; Patrice Parker, Anchorage, 4:34:15; Kelly Driver, Anchorage, 4:34:22; Rachelle Alger, Anchorage, 4:42:45; Ursula Fogarty, Wasilla, 4:59:25; DeeDee Jonrowe, Willow, 5:06:32.