Joan Benoit Samuelson '79 crosses the finish line at the 2011 Boston Marathon in 2:51:29. (Photo by Brian Wedge '97)

At least 20 Bowdoin students and alumni, and one faculty member, were among the more than 20,000 runners who pounded the pavement from Hopkinton to downtown Boston in the 2011 Boston Marathon. Joan Benoit Samuelson ’79, returning to the race for the first time since 1993, finished in 2:51:29 – and on the anniversary of her 1983 win, when she came in at 2:22:42, shaving 2:47 off the world record. Nate Krah ’08, with an overall pace of 5:26, was the 29th person across the finish line with a time of 2:22:24.

John Hall ’08 created an app that tracked the Polar Bears’ progress and has their results. (Note: not a complete list; we’ll continue to compile names as we learn of them, and will publish a fuller list in the future.)

Bowdoin alumni cheer for Joan Benoit Samuelson '79 as she races by. (Photo from Bree Dalinga '06)