After 36 years of running at night, McGillivray will run during the day among the crowds
After 36 years of running the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America at night and being the final finisher of the race, Dave McGillivray will take to the race course during the daylight hours this year. He plans to join the field of 30,000 participants after sending off all the competitive divisions, wave one and wave two toward Boston on Monday, April 15. As race course director, Dave’s close work on the event with the B.A.A. and DMSE Sports team continues. During his run, he will observe everything along the course from the middle of the pack versus being up front on a motor scooter as he has done for over 30 years. He expects to cross the finish line among the crowds of cheering spectators and other victorious runners around 3:30 p.m. His best time on the Boston course is 2:29:58.
“The field of runners I will experience in the race in a couple of weeks will be five times larger than it was the last time I ran the Boston Marathon during the day. The energy and the crowds will be eclectic and seeing the race on two feet rather than two wheels will give me a special perspective,” said McGillivray. “I will be thinking of the Night Run Crew – the individuals who have taken to the course with me at night for all these years – every step of the way. It is with their help that I’ve been able to keep this streak alive for 52 years.”
The last time McGillivray ran during the day was in 1987 and there were only about 6,600 participants. His first year running officially was in 1973. He ran 15 consecutive marathons before getting the job as technical coordinator for the Boston Marathon in 1988. He decided to continue running the marathon at night after his duties were completed. This will be his 168th overall competitive marathon.
McGillivray is currently the second-longest active consecutive finisher of the race. This year, he will share in the race day experience with his 19-year-old daughter Elle and 30-year-old son Max, who are both running in the famed marathon for the first and second time respectively. McGillivray and his children have been fundraising for his foundation, the Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation as part of their preparation for the race. The McGillivray’s and other runners on Team Finish Strong have raised nearly $170,000 to support the organization’s programs and mission. Opportunities to donate towards their goal continue online.
In addition to his role as race course director and assisting both the B.A.A. and DMSE Sports teams with all race weekend operations in the Boston 5K presented by Point32Health and the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America, McGillivray will speak at the Bank of America Boston Marathon Expo on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. There, he will highlight his many athletic feats of endurance including his experience running the marathon. Immediately following, McGillivray will hold a book signing at the Finish Strong Foundation booth on the expo floor.
Less than a week later, McGillivray will travel to London to participate in the TCS London Marathon and speak to a team of runners taking part in the race.
Be sure to catch our full interview with Dave on the April 13 episode of our original podcast, The HopTake!
