It’s a very little known fact, but one of the top American finishers in last month’s Boston Marathon is a resident of Hoboken.
Will Appman, a 24-year-old consulting actuary, was 187th overall in the Boston Marathon out of more than 30,000 runners, crossing the finish line in 2:37.19. It was the fifth best time recorded by any New Jersey runner.
Appman is a native of North Allegheny, Pa. who started running at age 13, competed in track and field and cross country at North Allegheny High School and joined the club team at Penn State, where he earned his degree in actuarial science.
Soon after his days at Penn State, Appman decided to try his hand at going further distances.
“It was definitely a bit of an adjustment,” Appman said. “I ran 8K [eight kilometers] and half-marathons [13 miles], but jumping right into marathons was a little tough. I didn’t think it would be that big of an adjustment, but it was.”
After Appman finished his first marathon, he was convinced of one thing.
“Right after the race, I said that I was never going to do another marathon,” Appman said. “It was a very uncomfortable experience. I hit the wall at 16 miles and then again, so close to the finish, around 25 miles. But then within a week after, I was ready to go again.”
Appman finished the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2013 in 2:42, finishing among the top 50 in the race. He then set his sights at running the most famous and prestigious marathon of all.
“It was unbelievable when I finished Pittsburgh that I knew I wanted to do Boston,” Appman said.
In 2014, the Boston Marathon was still in a recovery mode after the tragic bombing the year prior.
“The city felt so emotional,” Appman said. “It was awesome to see the runners who were committed to finish the year before but couldn’t to come back and finish a year later. I think a lot of them did it for their pride and national pride.”
Appman finished the 2014 Boston Marathon in 2:48 and was 724th overall, but this year, he was determined to do even better.
“It was a very rough winter to do any training,” Appman said. “When I went out, I had to wear like four and five layers.”
Appman runs regularly with other members of the Garden State Track Club, based out of New Brunswick, but has about 20 or so members who reside in Hoboken and Jersey City.
“We have a nice sizeable group that get together and train,” Appman said. “We must run between 50 and 60 miles per week. We run along the waterfront, up to the bridge and back. It’s a nice resource to have. You see so many people who run down along the waterfront.”
Appman said that he felt that he trained well for this year’s Boston Marathon, despite the wicked winter.
“I knew I was in pretty good shape,” Appman said. “The conditions were a little different, with the cold and the rain. I went out a little slower than I would like, but I averaged six minutes a mile for the entire race. My time was the best for a marathon by five minutes, so there was such an awesome feeling of validation.”
Appman does compete in several shorter road races, like 5Ks and such, during the course of the year. He will compete in only one other marathon this year, that being the New York Marathon in October, which Appman has already qualified for.
“I’m excited for that,” said Appman, who moved to Hoboken two years so he could be closer to New York. “Even if I wasn’t racing, I’d still run. It’s a big part of my life. But it’s so motivating to know that I can do pretty well. It enables me to push myself, even when I don’t want to go hard, I still go hard.”
In fact, as you read this, Appman is preparing for a half-marathon — in Germany on Sunday.
“I’m going on vacation with my family,” Appman said. “My brother, Tim, who goes to Penn State, is running in it with me.”
Appman is definitely a runner to watch for the future. At 24, he’s not even scraping the surface of his prime marathon running years. Now we all know we have a budding star among our local residents.
Three other Hoboken residents finished the Boston Marathon in strong fashion. Timothy Daly, 35, crossed the finish line in 2:38.07, good for 212th place overall. Jeremy Klapper, 32, crossed the line in 2:40.26, which was 289th place overall. And 34-year-old Corey Kunz came home in 2:45.02, which was good for 508th place overall.
On the women’s side, Allison Goldstein, 29 of Jersey City, finished the race in 2:58.14, which was the third best time among all New Jersey female runners and 120th among all female competitors…
It was definitely a solid end to the high school golf season for St. Peter’s Prep senior Danny Harcourt, who shot an even par 72 at the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions Monday at the Hopewell Valley Golf Club to finish fourth overall, the best placing for any Hudson County golfer ever in the T of C.
“It’s really unbelievable,” Harcourt said. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in golf. It’s really exciting. I just tried to hit as many fairways as possible and capitalize on any opportunities I had for birdies. I was very confident going in, so that helped me. I was under par for quite a while and it crept into my head that I had to be among the leaders.”
Harcourt, who is headed to Gettysburg College in the fall, said that he received a text from friend and classmate Paolo Matti, who had the previous Hudson County T of C best score with his 75 two years ago that was good for eighth overall.
“Paolo told me going in that I was going to break the record,” Harcourt said. “I didn’t have a specific number as a goal, but Paolo wanted me to break the record. I told him I was going to try to do it for him. It’s the best way I could have ended my high school career. I’m very pleased with my performance.”
As well Harcourt should be, now that he’s the best Hudson County high school golfer of all time…
On Friday night June 5, one of the finest high school girls’ basketball coaches will be remembered at the school where his coaching career began.
The late Bill DeFazio, who died four years ago after a battle with pancreatic cancer, was the all-time leader in coaching victories in girls’ basketball at St. Anthony and Marist, winning county and state titles at both schools.
His wife, New Jersey City University athletic director Alice DeFazio, is hosting a “Fans of Bill DeFazio Night,” at the St. Anthony auditorium, with all the proceeds of the evening going to form a Bill DeFazio Scholarship Fund at St. Anthony. The event is scheduled to run from 6-9 p.m., but with all the fun stories to be told about Bill, the night is bound to run longer. It should be a fun night for a worthy cause.
Tickets are $20 and for more information, contact Alice DeFazio at (201) 320-5500…
Hudson Reporter High School Baseball Top Five: 1. St. Peter’s Prep (26-2). 2. Memorial (16-8). 3. Weehawken (19-8). 4. Marist (15-11). 5. Hudson Catholic (14-11)…
Hudson Reporter High School Softball Top Five: 1. North Bergen (21-8). 2. Bayonne (18-5). 3. Hudson Catholic (16-5). 4. St. Dominic Academy (17-8). 5. Secaucus (16-11).–Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.