Dylan Hernandez, of North Bethesda, did something extraordinary this week. The Maryland man finished first among approximately 500 D.C.-area runners who competed in Monday’s Boston Marathon.
It was Hernandez’s seventh marathon and second Boston Marathon, following his 2019 run. He finished with a time of 2:26:02, finishing 85th overall out of 27,000 runners.
“It feels a little surreal because I’m not used to this kind of level and success in running,” Hernandez said. “I’ve kind of been on a pretty positive trajectory, but I’m just kind of reaching new highs, which is a really great feeling because it validates … my decisions around running and training leading up to this.”
Hernandez ran track and cross country in high school in Wichita, Kansas. His team won the state title in cross country in 2011. But he said he didn’t come into his own as a runner until college.
He competed on club running teams at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Georgetown University, where he attended graduate school.
“I joined the Georgetown Running Club … and under coach Jerry Alexander … I’ve really improved and have been able to train with a really good team,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez runs some 100 miles a week and has trained extensively for the 127th Boston Marathon.
“It’s definitely satisfying because there’s a lot of work that goes into training and balancing that with a full-time job and other commitments,” said Hernandez, who is an associate director of Regulatory Strategies for a biotech company.
Following a recovery period, Hernandez said he plans to resume training for his next race.
“I’ll start jogging and then biking casually, and then, over the next maybe five weeks or so, I’ll ramp back up to a full training volume and intensity and take it from there,” Hernandez said. I have run a personal best in each marathon that I’ve run in so far, and I’d like to continue that trend this fall.”
