Running in his second marathon ever, Sachem North teacher and coach Billy Holl was in third place for most of the contest. Around mile 19 of the Long Island Marathon he made his move.
“I stayed away from going out with the two leaders initially because I knew the pace was too quick and luckily one of the them hit the wall and I was able to catch him and finish second,” he said.
Drawing inspiration from his own coaching lessons, Holl kept a strong pace and head. He finished second overall in 2:35:21.
The time was almost 10 minutes faster than his time of 2:44:11 in the 2011 New York City Marathon.
“I kept telling myself over the last few miles to stay tough and thought about the things I tell my runners before and during their races and used that as motivation during the hard miles,” said Holl.
On the Sachem North Boys Cross Country Facebook page, sophomore Dan Block described what the running achievement means to Holl’s team.
“The fact that you can train us to do things we once thought were impossible, while accomplishing his own feats is one of the reasons we’re proud to have you as our coach,” he wrote. “Great job on the marathon, Holl.”
CLICK HERE to see a Newsday story about the winners and second place finishers
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro