Neil Cusack remains the only Irishman to ever win the Boston marathon and has vowed to return next year to honour the victims of this week’s bombings.
By Declan Whooley
Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the Limerick man winning the longest-running marathon in the world and says he will run next year to honour the victims of the bombings at this year’s event.
He believes next year’s marathon will be huge and thinks it would be novel for many of the previous winners to compete to show support to the three people killed, including an eight year-old boy and also everyone else injured.
“Knowing the Americans they’ll want to come back bigger and stronger than ever before. Next year’s event will be unbelievable. The Americans will be behind it 1000%,” he told the Limerick Leader.
“It would be great if there were five or six of us who’d do it [having won it previously], such as Bill Rogers, who won it three times. And it would give me 12 months to get into shape to do. It’ll certainly gather legs.”
Pic credit: The Limerick Leader
Cusack won the 1974 Boston marathon in a time of 2:13:03 and said that the day will be “forever etched in my brain”. He would later compete in two Olympic Games as well as winning the Dublin marathon in 1981.
Over 100 Irish entrants who took part, the majority from Dublin and Cork, are reported to be safe and accounted for.
A kind gesture from Neil and we hope as many winners do indeed decide to come back for the worthy cause.
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