BOSTON – Keystone Heights High graduate (2004) and track standout Enoch Nadler, now a coach in Gainesville of the Florida Track Club elite racing team, showed off some ‘street cred’ to his disciples with a 22nd place finish in two hours, 17 minutes and six seconds finish at the Boston Marathon on a cold, damp morning in Boston on Monday.

“I remember growing up in Keystone Heights and we had an old beat up track and running wasn’t a thing,” said Nadler, in a pre-Boston Marathon video thread by Justin Keefe. “I never got to see what running was. I only heard about guys like Frank Shorter (US Olympic marathoner). I remember going to my first Gate River Run as a freshman and realizing that this might be for me. From that point on, I always envisioned running in the elite field and being on the podium.”

Nadler, who has already qualified to run in his second U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta in 2020, was attempting to better his previous best of 2:18.17 set in California last year.

“The race was super tough; pretty much from the gun a big group separated away from us,” said Nadler. “I had to settle into my own pace and I ran a lot of it by myself; about a minute in front of people and a minute behind the front runners.”

Nadler detailed the thoughts going through is mind thinking of his mom, his wife Angela, his friends, his Florida Track Club group that was in the race behind him and just kept clicking off the miles.

“I just kept grinding though my legs were getting tired,” said Nadler. “It was a big PR by over a minute so proved I could run in tough conditions with the wind in my face most of the way. I’ll take some time off then get back to training for the Olympic Trials Marathon.”

The U.S. Olympic marathon standard is 2:19.00.

For the race, Kenyan Lawrence Cherono outsprinted Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa in the last 25 yards to win in 2:07:57 with Desisa two seconds off the mark.

Top Americans were Scott Fauble in eighth place in 2:09:09 with Jared Ward ninth in 2:09:25.

Womens winner was Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia in 2:23:31 with American Jordan Hasay third in 2:25:20. Defending womens champion American Desiree Linden finished fifth in 2:27:00.

“Ever since I started training to run marathons, Boston has been on my list,” said Nadler.

Finishes of area runners

Josue Velazquez, 28, OP, 2:57:05

Belissa Del Valle, 31, OP, 3:34:04

Sharon Hawley, 32, FI, 3:51:37

Julie Boyette, 63, OP, 4:29:30

Joi Troutt, 41, FI, 3:49:31

Dan Adams, 46, FI, 3:39:07

Debra Register, 32, MB, 4:32:21

Hank Gibson, 57, MB, 3:49:26

Enoch Nadler, 33, Gville, 2:17:06