Papadopoulos runs Personal Best Marathon for 4th in Lowell

photo of Giannis Papadopoulos by Tom Derderian

Running 6:22 per mile new GBTC member 23 year-old Giannis Papadopoulos, a journalism grad student from Greece at Emerson College in Boston, ran his personal best today in the Bay State Marathon in Lowell, MA placing 4th.

In an email to me he told his race story,

"Before the race I had a feeling that I was ready to make a personal best. The weather was nice but a cold breeze made me feel a little uncomfortable on the starting line."

Seven hundred and seventeen runners would finish the race on a fairly flat course on a windy day.

"The first runner was way ahead of me but I could keep an eye contact. I was running in a group with three other people."

"When the race begun some bad thoughts haunted my mind, even thought that was my fourth marathon. Am I ready to do this? Am I crazy? I will be running for more than two hours! I tried to calm down and control my breaths and my pace in the race."

Papadopoulos had raced in the Ollie 8k run and in the Harvard 10 mile placing second and fifth for the GBTC team.

"When we reached the 7th mile I felt a pain in my stomach. I stopped and tried to throw up, but I couldn't. The stomach ache would become my companion for the next miles. After the half marathon I threw up. A biker offered me some water. After this moment of shock I was relieved. Stress and pain free I entered the race and tried to find my pace. My legs were strong and my pace dropped to 6.07-6.14 for a mile. I was focusing on the runners backs and passing them one by one. Three miles to go and the third runner was two minutes ahead of me. I tried harder and half a mile before the end I could see him. Three hundred meters before the finish line I was ready to sprint and pass him. Then a cramp stopped me. I finished fourth, four seconds behind the third runner."

full results: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/07/ma/Oct14_19thAn_set1.shtml

Bruce Davie, Andy Colon and Christy Bonstelle ran the half marathon, Davie also recording a PR (1:16:33).