As the perennial favorite in the Boston Marathon, Ernst Van Dyk arrived at the Boston Marathon on the verge of race history. With a win in the 114th Boston Marathon, he would become the most successful Boston Marathon competitor of all time with nine titles in the Men’s Push Rim Wheelchair Division. On race morning, Van Dyk, the current world record holder, made his preparations in Hopkinton before the starting gun and held interviews from his famous yellow chair. Photographers swooned around this man who surely would be chasing only history down Boylston Street.
But 2010 was different. The 2010 field of top competitors was deeper than ever, including seven time Boston Marathon runner-up Krige Schabort, 2009 third place finisher Roger Puigbo Verdaguer, and 2007 winner Masazumi Soejima.
Like he has in eight victorious years, Ernst Van Dyk charged from the Hopkinton hills, and built a strong lead. After seven fast miles, 600 meters separated him from the pack. Although armed with years of understanding of the Boston course and how to approach it, his experience with competition on the historic route was thin. And at mile ten, competition showed up - his lead was down to 200 meters. At Mile 12 – it was whittled to 50, and at the halfway point, Van Dyk was jammed in a pack of six. It got worse.
“I don’t think it’s ever a strategy to fall behind in the race,” said Van Dyk. “It was like a train. There were five of them, and they were just working together.”
At mile 21, Schabort took control of the pace, while Van Dyk toiled in fourth. At 22, it appeared his record attempt would have to wait another year. “I thought it was pretty much over,” he said. If there was one unproven facet of Ernst Van Dyk in Boston, it was his ability to come from behind. In 2007 his third place finish was nearly a minute behind Schabort and nearly eight minutes behind Soejima.
Knowing where he stood in the race, he built a game plan for the last five kilometers. “They got away from me on the hills, and unfortunately I was fourth after Heartbreak Hill,” he said. “I broke off and kept focusing on the guy in front of me.” By Brookline, he was chasing two, and as they came into his sight, his engine was revived. “I caught back up with Kota [Hokinoue], then I could see Krige in front of me and knew that I had a chance,” he said. “I sprinted as hard as I could.”
At mile 24, Van Dyk trailed Schabort by 30 meters. The crowd that lined the streets roared. With a mile to go, they were side by side. “Once I caught up to him, we knew it would be a sprint to the finish,” said Van Dyk. “We came around the corner and I’m ten years younger than Krige, so I have a better sprint than he has, but you still need to time your move correctly.”
In the closing 400m of the race, he unleashed a sprint to which Schabort had no response. At the line, the South African champion held a three second advantage – 1:26:53 to 1:26:56 – had secured a check in the amount of $15,000 and climbed atop the B.A.A. record book as the most successful Boston Marathon competitor of all time. It was the second closest finish in race history.
“It was a battle,” Van Dyk observed. “It’s another race that’s completely different from my other wins. I count each win as a bonus, whether it’s 9th, 8th, 17th. Now that I have won nine and I am the only one in history it’s an honor.”