BOSTON — Chilling rains and blustery winds accompanied a handful of runners from Addison County as they competed in the 119th Boston Marathon on Monday.
Bristol distance runner Todd Smith finished his seventh Boston Marathon in 2:39:21. While not a personal record, the 40-year-old was the fastest racer from Vermont and 13th in his age group, and overall he was 247th across the Boylston Street finish line out of 26,610 finishers.
“My goal was to run at a six-minute (per mile) pace and that’s what I did,” he said.
Next month, Smith plans to run the Vermont City Marathon as a pace setter for runners in the 3:30 division. He also plans to compete in triathlons this spring including the Vermont Sun series at Branbury State Park in June and Ironman half triathlons in August and September in Maine and New Hampshire.
Middlebury College sophomore Sarah Fossett on Monday ran her first marathon at Boston and finished the 26.2-mile race in 4:34:16 — good enough for 5,057th place in her division. She ran the race alongside her father, Rodger, an experienced marathoner. Having grown up watching the race every year, the 21-year-old Massachusetts native said she was already thinking about next year.
“I keep telling people ‘ask me tomorrow,’ but even today, I’m thinking I will,” she said on Tuesday. 
Ben Bruno of Middlebury ran his fourth Boston Marathon in 3:08:08, and was officially in 4,225th place. It was a fine time, he said, considering the weather conditions. Bruno ran the course from Hopkinton to Boston in 87-degree heat in his first year.
“When you do an April marathon in New England, you never known what you’re going to get,” he said.
Weather aside, the 30-year-old said his goal this year was to enjoy the race more.
“I felt like the past few years I’ve been going so hard that I get to the end and I can’t enjoy the few miles that you’re in Boston and running through the city. I backed off a little bit and kept a pretty even pace so I could enjoy the sights and sounds.”
Next month, Bruno will run the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington.
“By holding back a little bit, I’ve got something left in the tank for Burlington,” he said.
Fellow Middlebury resident Jeff Byers, who carpooled to the race with Bruno, finished in 3:35:40. The 57-year-old was 525th in his division.
This year was Byers’ first time running the historic race and said his time was similar to the other 26-milers he’s competed in.
“It was great to be part of the most famous race in the world,” he said “It’s a real touchstone for a runner to say they qualified and then ran Boston.” 
Editor’s note: Addison Independent sportswriter Andy Kirkaldy took a well-deserved vacation this week. Taking a true busman’s holiday, he went to the Boston Marathon and posted a report from the race on our website; check it out here.