MAY 5 • 2022 | 35

SPORTS

I

n his job, Shawn Achtman
says, it’s important to practice
what you preach.
Achtman is a physical medicine
and rehabilitation physician in a
private practice. He helps patients
with physical issues manage those
issues and be as active as possible.
Physical fitness is a core value
of Achtman’s life. He lifts weights
every day and plays basketball
and golf competitively.
Running isn’t one of his phys-
ical fitness fortes. But that didn’t
stop the 34-year-old Berkley resi-
dent from competing last month
in the Boston Marathon, the
world’s most famous and presti-
gious marathon.
“I was confident that I could
qualify to run in the Boston
Marathon because I’m in good
shape,
” he said. “Of course, being
a top runner is a whole different
beast.
”
Achtman qualified for the
Boston Marathon in October at
the Detroit Free Press Marathon.
His time of two hours, 54
minutes was six minutes under
the three-hour Boston Marathon
qualification time for the 18-34
age group.
Achtman had run just one
marathon previously, and that
didn’t end well.
“I ran the Detroit marathon
about 10 years earlier. I had to
walk the last three miles because I
was cramping,
” he said.
“
A buddy suggested last sum-
mer that I should run in the
Detroit marathon. I decided to do
it, but only if I had a goal: qualify
for the Boston Marathon.
”
Achtman’s time April 18 in

the 126th Boston Marathon was
3:03.55.
“Disappointing,
” he said when
asked about his time. “I wanted to
at least beat the time I ran in the
Detroit marathon.
”
So what caused his disappoint-
ment on the iconic 26.2-mile
Boston Marathon course that
stretches from Hopkinton to
Copley Square?
“I was told not to go out too
fast because the first 15-16 miles
of the race are mostly downhill
and the rest of the race is mostly
uphill, but I did,
” he said. “I went
from a 6:30 per mile pace to a
7:01 per mile pace.
“
Also, I didn’t train as much as
I did for the Detroit marathon.
Running in Michigan during the
winter is a challenge.
“I’
d say it was the lack of
enough training more than any-

thing else that caused me to run
Boston slower than Detroit.
”
Despite the disappointment
about his time, Achtman said he’s
happy he competed in the Boston
Marathon.
A big reason is because he
shared the experience with more
than 28,000 other runners and
hundreds of thousands of spec-
tators, including his wife, Jenny,
their children Aden, 3, and
Demi, 1, and his brother Ryan,
who traveled from his home in
Brooklyn, N.Y.
“The weather was great for
the race. It was about 45 degrees
with no clouds. My right arm and
right shoulder got sun-burned,
”
Achtman said.
“In the world of running, it’s a
dream to compete in the Boston
Marathon, and I did it.
”
That dream had been a night-

mare for runners since 2019, the
last time the Boston Marathon
was held on Patriots Day.
The COVID-19 pandemic
caused the race to be canceled in
2020, then delayed, canceled and
delayed again until October last
year, when a small, socially dis-
tanced field competed.
Each runner in the 2021
Boston Marathon had to be vac-
cinated, tested and wear a mask
when indoors.
Boston Marathon runners
had to be vaccinated (or have an
exemption) this year, but testing
was optional and masks were
mandatory only on the buses that
took runners to the start of the
race.
The 2021 race was the only
time the Boston Marathon has
ever been held in the fall.
Achtman said he’s thinking
about trying to qualify again for
the Boston Marathon. If he does
qualify, he said, he’ll train longer
and do less weightlifting before
the race.
Before all that happens, the
5-foot-8, 165-pounder is going to
give CrossFit a try.
CrossFit is a rigorous workout
and competition regimen of aer-
obic and body weight exercises,
gymnastics and weightlifting.

Please send sports news to

stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

Berkley resident Shawn Achtman runs in the first
spring Boston Marathon since 2019.
Marathon Man

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Shawn Achtman enjoys a post-race moment at the Boston
Marathon with his brother Ryan, wife, Jenny, and their
children Demi and Aden.

SHAWN ACHTMAN

SHAWN ACHTMAN

Shawn Achtman is on
the run at the Boston
Marathon.