Saskatoon man crosses Boston Marathon off Bucket List

Kent Hartshorn couldn’t wipe the smile off his face after crossing the finish line in Boston Monday.

Nine years after taking up running, Hartshorn was among 30,000 runners from around the world who qualified to run the prestigious marathon.

“That’s my victory lap,” Hartshorn told the Brent Loucks Show Tuesday, adding qualifying for the race was a feat in and of itself.

After turning competitive five years ago, Hartshorn said making it to Boston became the goal.

“It’s a bucket list. As soon as you finish the half then you really starting thinking about, ‘I wonder if I could do a marathon?'”

Hartshorn said running to thousands of cheering fans that dot the route was an exhilarating experience.

“Every little kid has got their hand out, they’re cheering. That in itself carries you along the whole route.”

Hartshorn finished in the middle of the pack — placing 18,718 overall, but was first to admit he could have placed higher if he didn’t let himself get distracted by the experience.

“I think I took over 200 pictures on the route. I sent a couple of texts and tweets so that probably added 10 minutes to my run,” Hartshorn joked.

“Once you get here you just have to soak it up and enjoy it. It’s just the most wonderful feeling.”

Hartshorn now has his sights set on competing in the historic Greek Marathon in Athens in November.