Tatyana McFadden celebrates winning a gold medal in the women's T54 800-meter at the IPC World Para Athletics Championships 2017 at London Stadium on July 19, 2017 in London.
A five-time Paralympian (including four summer Games and one winter), Tatyana McFadden long ago established herself as one of the best in her sport.
She has won 17 Paralympic medals. She has completed the grand slam of the world’s major marathons four times. She has co-authored a children’s book. And she even pulled a BMW while seated in her wheelchair.
In windy, cold and rainy conditions this past Monday, McFadden won the Boston Marathon for the fifth time. On Sunday, she’ll attempt to win the London Marathon to knock out the Boston-London double yet again. Also of note, McFadden turns 29 on Saturday.
With so many numbers, the time has arrived to look at McFadden’s Boston and London journeys by the numbers.
4 Boston-London Doubles Already Achieved
McFadden’s win in Boston was her fifth in Beantown. She’ll go for her fifth London win this Sunday. It’s a quite a change from last year when, battling blood clots, she finished fourth in Boston and had to withdraw from the London race. McFadden won both Boston and London – as well as Chicago and New York City – each year from 2013 through 2016.
Perhaps her most emotional Boston win came in 2015, when she gave her olive wreath to Bill Richard. McFadden was racing for Team MR8, a charitable foundation begun by Bill and Denise Richard following the death of their son in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Bill Richard wiped away tears when McFadden gave him the olive wreath.
In 2013 she was the first person in any division, able-bodied or disabled, to win the marathon grand slam. She accomplished it the next three years, as well. This year, the Chicago Marathon is coming up in October, followed by the New York City Marathon in November. McFadden finished second in the Tokyo Marathon in February.
22 Major Marathon Wins Under Her Belt
When the race starts Sunday in London, McFadden will be going after her 23rd victory in one of the world’s major marathon series. She already holds the record with 22. Incredibly, her major marathon victories actually outnumber her medals in the Paralympic Games, which include seven gold medals. She won a silver medal in the marathon at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016.
26.2 Miles Per Marathon
First of all, each marathon is 26.2 miles.
But let’s take a closer look at that, shall we?
Marathon in feet: 138,435
Marathon in yards: 46,145
Marathon in meters: 42,195
Going by sea?
The marathon measures out to 22.7835 nautical miles.
30-Plus-Degree Difference Between Cities
McFadden could have reached for a winter coat during this year’s Boston Marathon. It was that cold. It won’t be that way in London.
Boston temp: 42 degrees, wind chill in the 30s
London temp Sunday: Up to 24 degrees Celsius, or 75 degrees Fahrenheit
3,269 Miles From Boston To London
It is well known that the distance from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to the Boston Marathon finish line in Boston is 26 miles and 385 yards. But how far to London? That’s 3,269 miles that McFadden traveled to get to her second marathon in less than a week. Or take out your calculator and figure it out: It’s about 125 marathons.
Paul D. Bowker has been writing about Olympic sports since 1996, when he was an assistant bureau chief in Atlanta. He is sports editor of the Cape Cod Times and a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
