MANSFIELD, Ohio — The weather was miserable and she ran the final nine miles on a sprained ankle, but Rocio Rodriguez Vallejo can’t wait to go back to Boston.
A triathlete and personal trainer at the Mansfield YMCA, Rodriguez Vallejo was one of about 30,000 runners who battled the elements at last week’s 119th Boston Marathon. She finished the 26.2 mile route from Hopkinton to Boylston Street in 3 hours, 25.09 seconds.
“The weather conditions weren’t really nice — temperatures in the 40s, rain and wind — but that wasn’t the challenge for me,” said Rodriguez Vallejo, whose husband, Raul de la Torre, is a teacher at the Spanish Immersion School. “The real one arrived once I had to face the last nine miles with a sprained ankle.”
The 31-year-old Spaniard stepped on an empty water bottle while getting Gatorade at an aid station at Mile 17. She hobbled up Heartbreak Hill and through Copley Square, crossing the blue and yellow finishing line in front of thousands of onlookers.
“When I sprained my ankle it was so hard, but there was no time to regret, no time to complain,” Rodriguez Vallejo said. “I just knew that my finish time would be different than I expected.”
Her finishing time was good enough to qualify for the 2016 Boston Marathon. She had hoped to earn entry into this year’s New York City Marathon, but came up about 10 minutes shy of the age group qualifying standard despite the injury.
It has been a whirlwind year for Rodriguez Vallejo, who competed in Ironman Louisville last August. She finished the 140.6-mile event in 12 hours, 48 minutes and 14 seconds, earning All World Athlete Bronze recognition for finishing in the top 10 percent in the world in her age group.
“Triathlon is my sport,” said Rodriguez Vallejo, who is also a spinning instructor at the Mansfield YMCA. “I was pleased to finish in the top 10 percent in the world at the Ironman.”
Rodriguez Vallejo plans to compete in the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon on June 7. She also hopes to return to Boston next year.
“I don’t know how to describe the experience. It was amazing,” Rodriguez Vallejo said. “I appreciate all the support received from this continent and overseas, local people and Spaniards.
“I would love to be back next year and make my time better.”
“When I sprained my ankle it was so hard, but there was no time to regret, no time to complain,” Rocio Rodriguez Vallejo said. “I just knew that my finish time would be different than I expected.”
