Hampton grad shines at Boston Marathon

Hampton graduate Elaina Balouris Tabb competed in the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and represented her country on five continents as a professional distance runner.

But nothing compared to a Monday morning in Boston earlier this month.

Balouris Tabb, running in her first marathon, finished second among all U.S. females in the 125th Boston Marathon on Oct. 11 with a time of 2 hours, 30 minutes, 33 seconds.

The 2010 Hampton graduate placed 12th among 7,602 female runners and 88th overall in the 15,646-person race.

“It was neat,” she said. “The entire city, every mile of the race was lined with people cheering. It was just really special in that way. It was noticably way bigger than any race I’ve ever done.”

Balouris Tabb decided to compete in her first marathon after rallying from last place to finish 24th in field of 41 in the 10,000-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on June 26 in Eugene, Ore.

The memorable day included Balouris Tabb getting a “flat tire” and losing about 15 seconds on the field when an another runner stepped on her heel moments after the opening gun of her final competition as an elite U.S. distance runner.

Balouris Tabb, a former WPIAL 3,200-meter champion and the Hampton school record-holder in the event, picked the world’s oldest and most prestigious marathon for her 26.2-mile debut.

A math teacher at Oakland Catholic, she trained by logging 22-mile runs each weekend and then two shorter, intense runs, one on the weekend and one during the school week.

Balouris Tabb was returning home in a sense. She ran for Boston Athletic Association as a pro for seven years before moving back to Pittsburgh this past summer with her husband, Brian Tabb. Elaina had attended many Boston Marathons as a spectator over the years.

This time, she was part of the field. One of the invited professional elite runners, she settled into a sensible early pace, running most of the race with Shino Kaneshige of Japan off the lead pack. Balouris Tabb, a six-time Division I All-American at William & Mary, used her conserved energy and a strong kick to pass 10 female runners in the final eight miles. She also achieved her pre-race goal of averaging a 5:45 mile.

“I was happy that I ran a smart race,” she said. “I think I did a really good job of judging my effort in the beginning. … I was training to run a 5:45 pace and that’s exactly what I ended up running.”

Balouris Tabb finished less than six minutes behind the overall female winner, Diana Kipyokei of Kenya (2:24:45), and about three minutes behind the top American female, Nell Rojas, 33, of Boulder, Colo.

But the lasting memories will come from the atmosphere at the race, which was canceled last year due to the pandemic and then moved to the fall for the first time after a 30-month absence.

“Every single mile had people lining the course and cheering for you,” Balouris Tabb said. “That was really helpful when things started to get really painful at the end. Your body is shutting down and telling you to stop, but then you have all of these reasons to keep going and that makes it cool.

“It’s really encouraging to be cheered on by strangers to finish the race and that made it a lot more fun, too.”

Brian Tabb, who rode his bike along his wife and helped keep her hydrated during her long weekend training runs, watched the race from the straightaway near the finish line. He got emotional after she ran past him in a city where they shared so many special times.

“That was incredible,” he said. “I could see her coming and I knew it was going to be a great day. When she ran by me, I was yelling and cheering her on. She turned my way, and then my voice cracked. … I was so happy in that moment. It was really special.”

Balouris Tabb, who is taking about 2-3 weeks off from training to recover, expects to run in more marathons in the future, including possibly in Pittsburgh.

“Since (Boston) went so well, I think it might have opened up some doors to keep running marathons,” she said. “I might do a few more before I actually retire.”