Invacare Corp.’s Team Invacare had an impressive showing at Monday’s 114th Boston Marathon, with Ernst van Dyk taking first in the men’s wheelchair division and Krige Schabort taking second in the men’s race and Diane Roy placing second and Amanda McGrory coming in third in the women’s wheelchair race.
In one of the most competitive men’s races in the history of the Marathon, van Dyk narrowly won a record ninth victory with a time of 1:26.53. Schabort was just three seconds behind him, finishing with a time of 1:26.56. It was van Dyk’s third consecutive marathon win, after winning six straight from 2001 to 2006, including a world record time of 1:18.27 in 2004. The victory makes the 37-year-old South African the winningest Boston Marathon competitor of all time, in any division.
“I just wanted to do my best every time in the race and be in the money and go for the trophy,” van Dyk said. “Whether it’s number nine, number eight or number 17, it doesn’t matter to me, but now that it is number nine and I’m the only person in the history of this race to win nine, I think it’s an honor and I need to appreciate what it is.”
“It was an incredible race,” said Mary Carol Peterson, marketing and customer service manager for Invacare Top End. “Seeing these teammates and friends shake hands with a mile to go and sprint to the finish as competitors was a moment to remember.”
Photos and video of the race are posted at www.facebook.com/InvacareCorporation.