Marathon Man

SPORTS

Marathon Man

Berkley resident Shawn Achtman runs in the first spring Boston Marathon since 2019.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In his job, Shawn Achtman says, it’s important to practice what you preach.

Achtman is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in a private practice. He helps patients with physical issues manage those issues and be as active as possible.

Physical fitness is a core value of Achtman’s life. He lifts weights every day and plays basketball and golf competitively.

Running isn’t one of his physical fitness fortes. But that didn’t stop the 34-year-old Berkley resident from competing last month in the Boston Marathon, the world’s most famous and prestigious marathon.

“I was confident that I could qualify to run in the Boston Marathon because I’m in good shape,” he said. “Of course, being a top runner is a whole different beast.”

Achtman qualified for the Boston Marathon in October at the Detroit Free Press Marathon.

His time of two hours, 54 minutes was six minutes under the three-hour Boston Marathon qualification time for the 18-34 age group.

Achtman had run just one marathon previously, and that didn’t end well.

“I ran the Detroit marathon about 10 years earlier. I had to walk the last three miles because I was cramping,” he said.

“A buddy suggested last summer that I should run in the Detroit marathon. I decided to do it, but only if I had a goal: qualify for the Boston Marathon.”

Achtman’s time April 18 in the 126th Boston Marathon was 3:03.55.

“Disappointing,” he said when asked about his time. “I wanted to at least beat the time I ran in the Detroit marathon.”

So what caused his disappointment on the iconic 26.2-mile Boston Marathon course that stretches from Hopkinton to Copley Square?

“I was told not to go out too fast because the first 15-16 miles of the race are mostly downhill and the rest of the race is mostly uphill, but I did,” he said. “I went from a 6:30 per mile pace to a 7:01 per mile pace.

“Also, I didn’t train as much as I did for the Detroit marathon. Running in Michigan during the winter is a challenge.

“I’d say it was the lack of enough training more than anything else that caused me to run Boston slower than Detroit.”

Despite the disappointment about his time, Achtman said he’s happy he competed in the Boston Marathon.

A big reason is because he shared the experience with more than 28,000 other runners and hundreds of thousands of spectators, including his wife, Jenny, their children Aden, 3, and Demi, 1, and his brother Ryan, who traveled from his home in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“The weather was great for the race. It was about 45 degrees with no clouds. My right arm and right shoulder got sun-burned,” Achtman said.

“In the world of running, it’s a dream to compete in the Boston Marathon, and I did it.”

That dream had been a nightmare for runners since 2019, the last time the Boston Marathon was held on Patriots Day.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the race to be canceled in 2020, then delayed, canceled and delayed again until October last year, when a small, socially distanced field competed.

Each runner in the 2021 Boston Marathon had to be vaccinated, tested and wear a mask when indoors.

Boston Marathon runners had to be vaccinated (or have an exemption) this year, but testing was optional and masks were mandatory only on the buses that took runners to the start of the race.

The 2021 race was the only time the Boston Marathon has ever been held in the fall.

Achtman said he’s thinking about trying to qualify again for the Boston Marathon. If he does qualify, he said, he’ll train longer and do less weightlifting before the race.

Before all that happens, the 5-foot-8, 165-pounder is going to give CrossFit a try.

CrossFit is a rigorous workout and competition regimen of aerobic and body weight exercises, gymnastics and weightlifting.

Shawn Achtman enjoys a post-race moment at the Boston Marathon with his brother Ryan, wife, Jenny, and their children Demi and Aden.

SHAWN ACHTMAN

Shawn Achtman is on the run at the Boston Marathon.

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