News Local/State

After Four Wins, McFadden Places Fourth In Boston Marathon Women’s Wheelchair Competition

By Jim Meadows With Additional Reporting By The Associated Press
 
Boston Marathon wheelchair division winners Manuela Schar and Marcel Hug, both of Switzerland.

Wheelchair division winners Manuela Schar, right, and Marcel Hug, both of Switzerland, pose after their wins in the 121st Boston Marathon women's and men's wheelchair divisions on Monday in Boston. AP Photo / Elise Amendola

Tatyana McFadden’s winning streak at the Boston Marathon has ended after four years.

The Russian-born, University of Illinois graduate student based in Maryland finished 4th in the women’s wheelchair category of the high-profile race Monday, with a time of 1:35:05.

McFadden had won a "grand slam" of marathons in Boston, Chicago, London and New York City, every year since 2013. Her competition at Boston comes after being hospitalized for over a week in the past month for three blood clot surgeries. 

Manuela Schar of of Switzerland won the women’s wheelchair division in 1 hour, 28 minutes, 17 seconds, shattering the world best by more than five minutes. It’s the first time that a woman has beaten the one-hour, thirty-minute mark. The old best for a woman in the wheelchair race was 1:34:06. 

Other athletes with U of I ties also finished near the top in women’s wheelchair competition.

Graduate student Amanda McGrory of Savoy placed second, with a time of 1:33:17. Susannah Scaroni, an Illinois alumnus, finished in third place at 1:33:17. And Chelsea McClammer, another U of I student, placed fifth with a time of 1:37:09.

The men’s wheelchair division was won by Marcel Hug. The Swiss athlete won the category for the third straight year at the Boston Marathon, setting a world’s best with a time of 1:18:04.

The winning times of Schar and Hug are considered “world’s best”, not “world record” times. The straight-line Boston course doesn't qualify for world records because of the possibility of a supportive tailwind like the one on Monday. 

Former Illini athlete Josh George placed sixth in the men’s division with a time of 1:21:47.

Former Illini athletes Aaron Pike and James Senbeta finished 7th (1:22:09) and 12th (1:24:27) respectively.

Athletes with Illini ties who also placed in the top 25 in men’s wheelchair competition are Daniel Romanchunk in 16th place (1:26:26), Brian Siemann at 17th (1:26:46) and Illini wheelchair track head coach Adam Bleakney in 25th place (1:32:45).