Michigan Man, 74, Plans to Run 100th Marathon in Boston
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Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images(BOSTON) — A 74-year-old man plans to run his 100th marathon in Boston to honor the victims of last year’s bombing.
Richard Wallen, from Flushing, Mich., is a retired school administrator, coach, and college councilor.
He has 99 medals from some of the top marathons in the country and 14 from Boston.
This will be the first race, though, in which he plans to go slowly.
“Ordinarily I would go out there and just work my butt off and run as fast as I can — but not this time,” Wallen said. “This is special. I’m going to run slow, I’m going to slap hands with the kids, I’m going to stop and take pictures along the way.”
The point is, he said, to take the time to remember the victims of last year’s terrorist bombing.
He was inspired to run the race, Wallen said, by his wife, who has run the race 19 times. But he’s catching up to her.
“I’ve already qualified for the 2015 Boston Marathon,” he said.
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