Seven times Tour de France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong finished the 112th Boston Marathon in 2:50:58, placing 488th out of more than 25,000 Monday.
Kenyan Robert Cheruiyot won the men's race in 2:07:46, missing the course record he set by just 32 seconds. He became the fourth man to win Boston four times, joining American great Bill Rogers.
Armstrong, running together with 50 Livestrong 'teammates,' is raising funds and awareness for his Lance Armstrong Foundation, known around the world as Livestrong. This was Armstrong's first Boston Marathon; he's finished the New York City Marathon twice. Participants in that race raised more than US$500,000 in November 2007. A reported US$200,000 was raised in Boston.
According to sources close to Armstrong, a professional triathlete before he became a bicycle racer, the Texan stepped on a piece of coral about a month ago which gave him a foot injury and slowed his training down a bit. He added he pushed the pace a bit too hard in the middle of the Boston race, mostly due to the excitement of being there and ended up paying for it in the final four to five miles. Compared to the New York City course, Armstrong also mentioned he felt more "boxed in" but the crowds along the course were unbelievable.
Armstrong said he plans to run the New York City Marathon again this fall. Check out this video of Kristin Armstrong interviewing her "wasband" in Boston before the race.