Iffrig, then 78, was feet from the finish line when the force of the bombs knocked him over. He told, Bill Iffrig, died on January 8. He was 89 years old, and his death was reported by the Everett Herald.
Iffrig, then 78, was feet from the finish line when the force of the bombs knocked him over. He told Runner’s World in a 2013 feature, “As I fell I thought, This might be it. This will be the end of me.”
In the image, captured by John Tlumacki of the Boston Globe, Iffrig is on the ground in an electric orange singlet as three police officers in fluorescent yellow vests are at his feet, scanning the crowd. Smoke from the explosions hangs in the air.
Iffrig, stunned, stood up and made his way across the finish line in 4:03:47, fourth in his age group. He was one of the final runners to record a time that day; race officials immediately stopped the race and kept thousands from the crime scene on Boylston Street.
Best Hydration Packs Sports Illustrated ldquo;As I fell I thought.
When President Barack Obama addressed the nation after the bombings, he made Iffrig a household name: “Like Bill Iffrig, 78 years old—the runner in the orange tank top who we all saw get knocked down by the blast—we may be momentarily knocked off our feet, but we’ll pick ourselves up. We’ll keep going. We will finish the race.”
Iffrig told Runner’s World that a week after the terrorist attack, a flight attendant on his flight from Boston gave him a copy of the Sports Illustrated magazine with his photo on the cover. She also gave him a complimentary meal and glass of wine. Later, his friend and training partner would tease, “Hell, Bill, all you did was fall down.”
He returned to the race in 2015, two years after the bombings, when he was 80, and ran 4:24:22, finishing second in his age group.
A carpenter and mason, from Lake Stevens, Washington, Iffrig was a decorated masters runner, according to the Herald; DAA Industry Opt Out he was a finalist for the paper’s 2009 Man of the Year in Sports award.
Iffrig’s wife of 69 years, Donna, died in November. He is survived by two children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, according to the Herald.
Years After the Boston Marathon Bombings Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a nine-time marathoner with a best of 3:23. She’s also proud of her 19:40 5K and 5:33 mile. Heather is an RRCA certified run coach.
