Kevin Knotek of Moose Pass was the lone Boston Marathon finisher from the Kenai Peninsula, crossing the line at 3 hours, 28.14 seconds, for a personal record in the marathon.
Knotek, 56, was 303rd in his age division and 7,390th amongst men.
Those numbers aren’t bad for somebody who didn’t start running until the age of 51, inspired to get into the sport by his children, Miles and Kara, both former members of the cross-country and track teams at Seward High School.
In a story submitted to the Clarion, Knotek said his first run came in 2010 and was exactly 1.6 miles.
Knotek works as a heavy equipment operator for the Alaska Department of Transportation in the Silvertip Camp, with his duties including plowing Turnagain Pass.
Knotek has had two back surgeries and had a work accident that left him with broken ribs and broken vertebrae, but that did not stop him from excelling in his running career.
He qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2014 at the Anchorage Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon with a time of 3:31:47, which was good enough for third place in the 55 to 59 age group.
Knotek did his training this winter mostly on the Seward Highway, and mixed it up once in a while by running on Snug Harbor Road in Cooper Landing.
The Moose Pass runner adds the Boston Marathon to the one half marathon, two marathons, three Crow Pass Crossings and numerous mountain races, like Bird Ridge and Government Peak, that he has already completed.
Heading into the Boston Marathon, Knotek said his plan was to get back to the trails after the Boston Marathon and start training for another Crow Pass Crossing.
