A sergeant with the Ocala Police Department made the trip to Massachusetts on Monday, along with 30,000-plus athletes representing 122 countries, to take part in the Boston Marathon.
In a social media post, OPD proudly announced that Sergeant Shawn Minucci had achieved the impressive milestone of qualifying for the 127th installment of the prestigious marathon.
“The qualifying times are fast, requiring consistent pacing and exceptional physical fitness, which demands extensive training,” stated OPD. In order to qualify, Minucci had to run the distance of a full marathon (26.2 miles) in less than three hours and 25 minutes, which he managed to accomplish during the qualifying window (September 1, 2021 through September 16, 2022).
On Monday morning, all of Minucci’s hard work and training paid off as he crossed the Boston Marathon’s starting line. At 10:50 a.m., he reached the first 5K (3.1-mile) checkpoint while averaging seven minutes and 34 seconds per mile. His pace remained under eight minutes per mile through the 25K (15.53-mile) checkpoint, which he reached at 12:25 p.m.
Minucci continued at a steady pace for the remainder of the course, and he crossed the finish line shortly before 1:55 p.m. with a final time of 3:27:24.
“It’s an incredible achievement that deserves recognition and celebration, and we couldn’t be prouder of him for this remarkable accomplishment,” stated the Ocala Police Department.