Threlfall also finished 132nd among males and 124th for participants in his age division of 18 to 39, running an average of 3:25 per kilometre.
Adding to his impressive run was being the second-best performing Australian behind 28th placed Patrick Tiernan, which was a goal Threlfall had heading into the major event.
The Echuca-Moama native ran in the event’s 130th edition, with the incredibly boisterous crowd present throughout the race a standout feature, as many locals support what is one of the major marathons worldwide.
The event traditionally takes place on Patriots’ Day, a public holiday in Boston, which naturally draws more attendees, while local pride in the event has only been amplified since the bombings that took place in 2013.
Threlfall described how the atmosphere amped up closer to the city centre, particularly through the Newton hills from the 27 to 34 kilometre mark, a stretch that culminates with what is known as the challenging heartbreak hill.
He added that he’s never experienced a marathon like this one in his 20 years of running, not only the physical aspect but particularly the culture and overall vibe that surrounds it.
“You get the finisher’s medal, which I just typically throw into boxes when I get home, and you don't wear it for longer than a couple of minutes after the race, but in Boston, they just celebrate you so much [because] first you qualified, and then you finished it as well, so it was great, the culture over there,” Threlfall said.
“I think maybe we got some of that tall poppy syndrome in Australia where it's like, quick, get the medal off, you don't want to be seen as that guy, but over there, the respect they have for people that finished their marathons is fantastic to see.”
The marathon itself has very hilly terrain, with more downhill inclines during the first half, which Threlfall said affected him more than the steep uphill sections due to the stress placed on his quads.
Adding to the challenge was the inability to prepare for terrain that can’t be replicated running within Echuca-Moama, while Threlfall’s lead-in was not the smoothest, having suffered bone stress injuries on both sides of his hips towards the end of last year, which involved six weeks of no running followed by another 14 weeks to return to regular marathon training.
The pre-race logistics are also another obstacle, with runners having to wait for 45 minutes at the start line after jogging nearly a kilometre just to get to it, and given the mass number of participants, there’s no realistic opportunity to warm up.
But what does help is the crowd throughout the 42 kilometres, with Threlfall comparing its scattered, ever-present nature to doing a run from Bendigo to Echuca and passing through smaller towns along the way like Elmore and Rochester that have their own raucous faction.
“You go through this university town and these university ladies, they're just overstimulating, the loudest noise I've ever heard while I'm racing, they're just screaming their lungs out,” Threlfall said.
“You're like, ‘I don't know what to do’, like, do you acknowledge them and give them a wave or do you just keep focused? So very, very grateful, and overstimulated at times.”
Screams of “come on bib number 242, let’s go” by random crowd members usually greeted Threlfall as he passed, but he did need a different kind of inspiration to push through as the finish line approached.
At the 39 kilometre mark, Threlfall was struggling, but he had a psychological strategy, using a special belonging given to him by four-year-old daughter Olivia to finish the final three kilometres.
“Sometimes I’ll write names on the back of my bib, or you write a message on your hand because you don't think straight really at the 39 kilometre mark of a 42-kilometre race, so you want simple stuff,” Threlfall said.
“So I'm looking down and just seeing this rainbow bracelet with a little smiley face on it, that just reminded me of her, and it was like, ‘that will get me to the finish line today’, and it did, which is kind of strange because you're on the other side of the world and here you are thinking about your four-year-old who's asleep at 1am in Moama.”
Threlfall returned home having completed a fourth of the seven world marathon majors on offer, with Boston, Berlin, Sydney, and Chicago all ticked off his list.
The local has also run races in Valencia, Spain, and in Japan, but not the major in Tokyo, while he now has his eye on running the New York and London majors over the next couple of years.
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