Illinois Man Makes History, Wins Boston Marathon Wheelchair Race

BOSTON — An Illinois man made history Monday at the Boston Marathon. Daniel Romanchuck of Urbana became the first American since 1993 to win the men's push-rim wheelchair race. As the sun started to push through the clouds, he finished with a time of 1 hour, 21 minutes and 36 seconds.

"There's really no way to describe it," he told WBZ after receiving his medal. Romanchuck also became the youngest push rim race winner in Boston Marathon history, according to the Boston Globe.

Behind him, Manuela Schär, of Switzerland won the women's push-rim race with a time of 1 hour, 34 minutes and 19 seconds.

A Maryland native, Romanchuk, who was born with spina bifida, has been active at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, a Disabled Sports USA chapter in Baltimore, since he was 2 years old.

According to his Disabled Sports USA profile, Romanchuk relocated to Illinois to take college classes as he pursues an engineering degree and also to train.

Romanchuk competed in the 2015 and 2017 Paralympic World Championships in both the 800m and 1500m. He also represented Team USA at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. He plans to race in the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai and has his sights set on the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

The 20-year-old finished third at the Boston Marathon in 2018 and won the Chicago and New York City marathons in 2018.

Related:

• Boston Marathon 2019: How To Track A Runner
• Boston Marathon 2019: Results, Leaderboard, Winners
• Boston Marathon 2019: How To Watch Live Stream, Or On TV

Jenna Fisher, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.