DPW’s Amy Rusiecki Completes Her 20th Boston Marathon

Amy Rusiecki is a familiar face at the Department of Public Works where she is the long-time Assistant Superintendent. She is also a familiar face on the course of the Boston Marathon, where on April 20, 2026 she completed the race from Hopkington to Boston for the 20th time.

Although Rusiecki, age 48, said that a lingering cold slowed her down so that her time was not what it could have been if she had felt 100%, it was still fast enough for her to qualify for next year’s race. She completed the 26.2 mile course in 3 hours and 44 minutes, finishing in 18,521 place overall and 1,067 in her division. Over 30,000 runners ran the race.

Rusiecki said that even though the course has been the same over the years, ”I find that each year is defined partly by the weather of the day.  I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced a Boston Marathon where the weather was more favorable than yesterday.”

Repeat overall winner, Kenyan John Korir no doubt agrees. He broke the 2011 course record by over a minute, finishing in 2 hours and 1.52 minutes. The temperature was in the 30’s at the start, only reaching the mid 40’s, and there was a tail wind helping the runners conquer the hills in the second half of the course.

Of the Boston Marathon, Rusiecki said, “Boston is a special event, it’s what keeps me returning year after year.  I grew up a few towns away from the start, so I have memories cheering on runners as a kid – and remember of being in awe of everyone out there…not just the elites, and not based on anyone’s finish time, but simply recognizing that each person who pinned on a race number and toed the line was incredible.  So, no matter what else I’ve accomplished as a runner, participating in Boston makes me feel like I’ve ‘made it’ as a runner and am part of something amazing.”

And after running 26.2 miles, she was back at work on Tuesday.

Rusiecki lives in South Deerfield.

Five Amherst Runners Finish
Amherst runners who completed the marathon were Philip Fennel (age 29, time 2 hours and 53 minutes), Nick Hopley (age 67, time 3 hours and 10 minutes), Sarah Gillespie (age 30, time 3 hours and 12 minutes), Kailean Hubbard (age 30, time 3 hours and 18 minutes), Chia-Yu Lo (age 48, time 4 hours and 32 minutes), and Heather De La Barre (age 36, time 5 hours and 20 minutes). Hopley, another regular finisher at Boston, was the 198th finisher in the men’s 65-70-year-old division.

Complete Boston Marathon Results here:

Read more:

Boston Marathon 2026: Kenya’s John Korir, Sharon Lokedi Each Win Men’s and Women’s Races for 2nd Consecutive Year (Yahoo Sports)

A Perfect Day for Running Created a Perfect Storm for Records at the 130th Boston Marathon (Boston Globe)

A Barefoot Runner, a Borrowed Garmin, and So Much More: Here are Nine Boston Marathon Stories You May Have Missed. (Boston Globe)

Chasing History: The Evolution of Men’s and Women’s Marathon World Records (olympics.com)