Boston Marathon Report: Susan Varga

Susan Varga recaps her weekend and her day at the Boston Marathon. Watch the video above, or read her report here:

Residence

Greensboro

Age

57

Day job

Physical therapist

Finishing time

4:04:08

How she qualified

Oak Island Marathon, 3:53.16, February 2021

Boston experience

First Boston Marathon

Marathon experience

Sixth open marathon, 15 marathons as part of an Ironman, one 50K

How it went

"It was amazing. My goal for this race was to do run-walk, enjoy the race and kind of take it easy because I have another race coming up in three weeks. And I was doing very well with that until I realized with about three miles to go that I could BQ. So of course I had to try. I ended up pushing the last few miles, but I did BQ. So that was exciting. That was a real shock. And just a pleasant surprise and just really awesome.”

The challenging stretch

"I'd have to say the finish because once I realized, I was pushing it. It was hard, but it was it was purposeful. So that made it a little easier to push.”

That Boston Marathon moment

"It's got to be Heartbreak Hill. Especially because that's where I was standing when I was the supporter last time. I actually felt really awesome going up it, so that was a cool experience. And when you get to the top, they have a sign that says you've conquered Heartbreak Hill. That's probably the iconic point for me."

Right on Hereford, left on Boylston

"I thought about it as I was making the turn. But I was pretty focused at that point. So that was I guess a sacrifice I made that I didn't get to quite enjoy it as much. I did, but in a different way. I didn't take it all in as much as I did the earlier part of the race.

"What was really a big point for me was the famous Citgo sign. They actually have a line drawn on the course that says one mile from the finish, so I was calculating in my head. When I hit that, I realized I had about 10 minutes to get to the finish line. That was inspirational and kept me going."

How she's celebrating

"I'm going to have a few beers. I'm hoping to meet up with my friends. Everyone seemed to have a really good race; I haven't gotten to talk to them. That's the big piece of it. The weekend has been so cool. All of the runners are really awesome. Whoever I see is going to be my friend. We're gonna celebrate together.

"It's funny, I was talking talking with Cary Maycock before the race, and I sent her some pictures of the finish line. And she says, 'It looks like Disney World for runners.' And I was like, 'Yes, that describes it perfectly.' That's how I'm gonna describe it from now on. So we're all just playing in Disney World at this point, especially now that we're finished.

"Have a few beers, maybe some good seafood and just celebrate."