Lexington Residents Run in the 2023 Boston Marathon

by Harry Forsdick, Community Contributor April 20, 2023April 21, 2023

As a tradition, each year, on the day after the Marathon, Harry Forsdick photographs the victorious runners. There are 7 Boston Marathon runners in the 2023group picture. In the photo above, the runners wearing their Boston Marathon medals are (left to right) Alfons Marquez, a visiting friend who used to run with the Peet’s group when he lived in Belmont. A few years ago he moved to Paris. Bart Feldman is a relative newcomer running his 4th Boston Marathon. For Yuval Ramon, running in the Boston Marathon means commuting to Boston from Israel where he now lives. When Yuval lived in Lexington he was the co-leader with Warren Kerper (see below) of the group. This was Yuval’s 18th Boston Marathon. Josh Brand has run in 7 Boston Marathons. For Warren “the Captain” Kerper this was his 20th Boston Marathon. Finally we get to the tallest members of the group: Frank Gens and Joe Caruso who have both run 11 Boston Marathons. Image (c) Harry Forsdick

Forty-one Lexington residents were officially registered for Monday’s running of the 2023 Boston Marathon. Sixteen female and twenty-five male runners signed up to run the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston.

I have several friends that I see early in the morning at Peets Coffee on Mass Ave throughout the year. While they run – I drink coffee with other, less energetic friends.

If you think that Boston is the only marathon these guys run, you’d be wrong. Indeed, they travel around the world to quench their thirst for running. Recently several of them (not sure which ones) traveled to the UK to run in the London Marathon. And then one day I heard “Tokyo Marathon” filter out from their post-practice coffee klatch. Being alert to interesting things being discussed at Peets, I asked for an explanation and they admitted that several of them had just returned from running in the Tokyo Marathon. Wow, these guys don’t know when to leave well enough alone…

I am happy they give me a glimpse of their running world and enjoy jousting with them about the wisdom of running and drinking coffee as opposed to the much saner exercise of just drinking coffee.

Leave a comment