Tigard High’s very own business teacher Chris McIsaac was one of the 30,000 participants in this year’s Boston Marathon.

     “There was not a section of the race where there weren’t people cheering for you,” he said. “That was pretty crazy, 26 miles of people cheering for you.” Although he unfortunately missed his target pace of 5:50 per mile, McIsaac says the Boston Marathon was one of his most valuable experiences as a runner.

     “I was able to train really well for it,” he said, noting that prior to the marathon he logged 80 miles a week in preparation for the demanding run. McIsaac started off well on the big day but toward the ninth mile he started feeling cramps in his legs. His pace gradually drifted from six to eight minutes per mile, but he didn’t let that stop him.

     “It was fun; it was really loud and exciting,” McIsaac said. “For most marathons, if that had happened, I probably just wouldn’t have finished but I [had to finish].” Ultimately, he finished the run with a final time of three hours and 54 minutes.

     “Even if the results aren’t there, I’ve still gained a lot from the experience of training,” McIsaac said. “Just spending time in Boston was cool.” While he is somewhat frustrated his work didn’t pay off as well as he had hoped, Boston was still a quintessential moment in time for him to remember.