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Through wind and sleet: How Guillermo Ceja weathered the Boston Marathon

Guillermo Ceja

Guillermo Ceja of El Jebel ran the Boston Marathon earlier this month. His path there, arguably, was an unlikely one; he immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, and struggled with alcohol for years before turning to competitive running. Boston was a victory for him, even though he didn’t set a personal record.

His goal for Boston was 2:50. The weather didn’t help much. He finished in 3:14.

 

On the weather and its impact on the race

 

There was sleet and then rain. The water never stopped. I’m not really sure how I got to the finish. Other people stopped, gave up, and left the race. My  mentality was just to finish, to not let the race defeat me.

 

On how running changed his life

 

[Running is] how I deal with my stress and it’s how I get my energy. I don’t know. I struggled with alcoholism. My wife and I had problems; she was going to divorce me. And so I decided it was time to change. I started working out in 2015 and I didn’t run...well, I ran, but not like I do now. I try and do it like a professional.

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