When Whitbourne resident Dennis Flood got to Boston, he was presented with the option of not running in the Boston Marathon this year due to the immense heat on race day.
The temperature on April 16 reached as high as 31 C.
He wouldn't have been the only one to take the out (4,500 other people decided to not partake in the race), but Flood would not hear of it.
"I didn't want to wait until next year to run the race," he said.
So, there he was, staring down the immense heat and preparing to run in one of the oldest marathons in the world. The Boston Marathon was first ran in 1897, making this year's edition the 116th running of the event.
"It was quite the experience. It was a hot day and a hard run," said Flood, who only started running in 2005 in order to "lose a few pounds."
Over the course of the race, which took him past Boston College, the Boston Library and through the streets of Massachusetts towns Hopkinton, Ashland and Framingham, amongst others, Flood was amazed by the amount of runners sharing the course with him.
"Some 22,500 runners is an incomprehensible number of people," he said.
Flood admits there were times on the track when his body did not want to go any further, but he "pushed through it" and hauled his frame across the finish line.
To help runners combat the intense heat, race officials had water stations positioned every mile along the course.
Flood also got help from the large crowd of onlookers watching the race.
He said they would bring out pieces of ice for the runners.
"I'd take some pieces and put them under my cap," said Flood.
He had high praise of the people of Boston who were watching the race.
"They were some of the best, friendliest people I've ever met," he said.
A successful run
Flood, who underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 2010, qualified for the Boston Marathon after finishing with a time of three hours, 35 minutes and 29 seconds at the Ottawa Marathon in May, 2011.
His finish time in the Boston race was 4:14:44, good for 11,450th overall and 7,620 in the men's division.
Flood finished in the top-500 in the 50-59 age group - he was No. 440.
"I was a little bit disappointed that I finished behind my qualifying time," said Flood. "But my time was nothing to be ashamed of."
He said he got "caught up in the moment" when he was crossing the finish line at Copley Square.
"It was amazing. Finishing gave me a sense of accomplishment for sure," he said.
A familiar face in the crowd
Flood was not the only Newfoundland runner in the event. There were eight other runners from this province.
He was also being cheered on by his No. 1 supporter - his wife Paula.
"It was great to have some support," he said.
Paula had a race herself, after she spent three hours trying to find a suitable vantage point at the finish line in order to see Flood cross the line.
"When I was getting close, I could hear someone calling my name," he said. "It was Paula and some friends she had made at the finish line."
