BOSTON – Beautiful spring weather on Patriots Day is just fine for Boston Marathon spectators. Many runners, however, prefer lightly overcast days with moist air and temperatures in the low 50s. Somehow, Monday’s mostly sunny weather at the 129th running of this, the oldest annual marathon in the United States, seemed to satisfy both parties.

“Today was an example of when the weather is agreeable for both the runners and the spectators,” said Lindsay Smith, 37, of South Hadley, who was running Boston for the 10th time. “Usually it’s skewed toward one or the other. Those people are standing there in the cold cheering you on – or it’s the opposite,” as the spectators are basking in the sun while the runners bake in it.

As Smith noted on Monday evening, he started running after he finished his studies at Boston Architectural College and decided he had time for something new. Certainly comfortable with this year’s atmospheric conditions, he was the fastest finisher from Hampshire County, practically duplicating his performance in 2024. He completed Monday’s 26.2-mile run from Hopkinton to Copley Square in downtown Boston in 2 hours, 39 minutes and 3 seconds – 40 seconds quicker than last year’s 2:39:43 and good for 715th overall in the field of more than 31,000 finishers

“I decided to be as consistent as possible from zero to mile 13,” he explained. “Maybe I even went out too slowly. But I pressed on the hills (in the second half) except for the last one, and then I pressed again for the last 10 kilometers. It didn’t feel hard until mile 24 or 25.”

Eric Ciocca of Northampton agreed about the weather. “The best ever,” said Ciocca after the race. “It was really beautiful. I thought there might be headwinds, but I didn’t feel any.”

The 47-year-old Ciocca crossed the finish line next to the Boston Public Library in 3 hours, 5 minutes and 20 seconds – a time that placed him 5,776th overall and 581st in the 45-49 year-old age group.

Ciocca was pleased with his time even though he wasn’t fast enough to reach his goal of breaking the three-hour barrier.

“I felt really tight until about mile ten,” he said. “Then I was able to pick up the pace. I was running sub-sevens [faster than seven minutes a mile] until mile 17 or 18.”

That was halfway through the famous Newton hills. Like most Boston Marathon veterans, he expected to slow down at that point, so he had planned to be four minutes ahead of a three-hour pace – “But when I actually got to the hills I had only two minutes extra.” Regardless, he was pleased with the day’s effort.

So was 67-year-old Jeff Mish of Hadley, who finished in 3:35:31, placing 59th in his age group. He was delighted to have run fast enough to qualify automatically for next year’s race. “I started a little more aggressively this time,” said Mish, who was completing his 16th Boston Marathon and was hoping to pass the halfway mark in an hour and 45 minutes. “I got to halfway in 1:42, so I thought, ‘That’ll be good,’ but it was a slog at the end. You have to bank some extra time for the hills.”

Reaching the top of Heartbreak Hill, Mish enjoyed an extra push from the crowd at the edge of the Boston College campus, his alma mater. “It was too warm for me to wear my BC shirt,” he said, “but I yelled ‘BC class of 1980!’ and the crowd loved it.”

For the second year in a row, South Hadley’s Lindsay Smith, 37, was the first finisher from Hampshire County. He clocked an impressive 2:39:03 to place 715th overall. Three other local runners breaking three hours were Jared Millay, 46, of Amherst, in 2:54:55, Steve Schmeisser, 44, of South Hadley, in 2:55:42, and Gareth Buckley, 49, also of South Hadley, in 2:58:45. Cameron Haas, 27, from Northampton, missed the three-hour mark by a whisker, arriving in 3:00:22.

If there were a prize for the fastest town in the Valley this year, South Hadley would claim it. Besides those performances by Smith, Schmeisser and Buckley, the first local female finisher was South Hadley runner Sarah Bousquet, 42, who crossed the blue and yellow line on Boylston Street in 3:22:36.

Amherst’s Nick Hopley, 56, who has run Boston countless times, finished this year in 3:12:58. Seven minutes after him was Immanuel Wineman, 46, of Northampton (3:19:42). Two local finishers distinguishing themselves in the over-70 division were David Theoharides, 71, of Whately in 4:03:59, and Timothy Gaudet, 70, of Southampton in 4:06:17. In their age group they placed 54th and 63rd. Debra Hevey, 66, of Chicopee placed 27th in her age group, in 3:57:17.

Other finishers from the area included Cassie Cuppek, 40, of Northampton (3:33:47); Wouter Hoogkamer, 43, of Pelham (3:38:23); Ericka Emerson, 53, of Belchertown (3:41:37); Brian Williams, 59, of Hatfield (3:51:10); Kuei-Lin Lo, 50, of Amherst (3:58:15); Brett Reiter, 37, of Northampton (4:32:07); Caroline Channell, 25, of Hatfield (4:44:41); Tom Benjamin, 62, of Haydenville (4:53:09); Ashlee Sypek, 33, of Westhampton (5:27:22); ageless supermarathoner Bill Romito of Leeds (5:48:53); and Heather De La Barre, 35, of Amherst (5:56:09).

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Any Hampshire County finisher whose name is not included here is invited to notify the Gazette (send an email to sports@gazettenet.com), and the article will be updated.