Tatyana McFadden dominated the women’s wheelchair race at the 120th Boston Marathon on Monday, winning for the fourth straight year.
McFadden was so far in front she had time to wave to the spectators cheering her to the finish line on Boylston Street.
McFadden dominated the women’s race despite getting off to a slow start. She admitted to struggling with the downhill portion once again, as five-time champion Wakako Tsuchida built an early lead, but knew she’d likely be able to make up the difference during the uphill part of the course.
“I just needed to remember that the race is 26.2 miles and to stay relaxed,” said McFadden, who was born in Russia, grew up in Maryland, and went to school at the University of Illinois, where she continues to train. “I was really confident that once I hit the climbs, that was my strongest area.”
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McFadden caught Tsuchida by Mile 9 and won in a time of 1:42:16. Not a course record, but good enough to give her another win. Tsuchida finished third in 1:43:34, behind Manuela Schar (1:43:30) of Switzerland.
With this being an Olympic year, McFadden already has her sights set on the Paralympic Games in Rio. She’s attempting to qualify and compete in seven events: the 100 meters, 400, 800, 1,500, 5,000, 4x400 relay, and marathon.
“It’s the first time in history that anyone has attempted seven events,” McFadden said. “It’s going to be quite a busy week, but I’m really, really looking forward to it. I hope I can put it really nicely together.
“Training has been tough, high intensity, but that’s all in preparation for Rio.”
Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeWhitmer.