As of 5:45 p.m., John O’Connor was on Beacon Street in Boston. He started running at 5:33 p.m. and he expects to make it into Hopkinton by about 10:45 p.m.
His friend, Boston University police Officer Jack Struble, is escorting him on a bicycle for the first three marathons.
Struble, a Marine Corps. sniper, has been to Iraq twice and injured his back.
“It’s truly an honor having him,” O’Connor said while running and talking to me on his cell phone.
O’Connor will run all through the night. He plans to be back in the city by about 4 a.m. tomorrow, then back in Hopkinton in time to start the Boston Marathon with all the other runners, then he’ll head back into Boston one last time.
He won’t do much resting.
“I’ll take little walking breaks here and there, that’s about it,” he said.
O’Connor is enjoying this lovely evening in town.
“Beautiful weather, I’m in a sleeveless shirt right now.”
